20th October 2018, 00:29
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| BHPian  Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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20th October 2018, 03:45
| #2 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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Thanked: 684 Times
| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Fast forward to the day of travel; i'll start with a day wise account of the trip Day 0: I had taken a night flight, reaching KEF around 6 am in the morning. I had to purchase an extra bag as my Icelandair ticket was a basic one (with carry-on plus personal item, but no checked bag). 110$ for a two-way checked bag. Many larger airlines don't charge for the first (or second) bag, but the basic economy seems to be getting popular with smaller airlines. The good thing is you atleast a small bag like aa backpack. With WOW air you have to pay for everything other than the personal item. I reached airport with around 2.hrs to spare. The check-in process was quick and i used the minute suits for almost 40 mins, to spend some time in the lounge (thanks to chase reserve card) but i somehow did not read the boarding gate properly, so had to run around for almost 20 mins from one part of the airport to the other around the time of boarding. The aircraft looked new and i read somewhere that it was the Jokursallon (Icelandair names their planes based on places of interest in Iceland). We took off after a delay of 10-15 mins and arrival was around 6 AM local time (2 AM EST). I wasn't going to get any proper sleep, so i was trying to sleep somehow to avoid any drowsiness the next day. I could barely get sleep for 3 hrs when i heard an announcement that we were going to land in the next hour or so. The crew also were selling some merchandise and i decided to purchase the Vodafone premium sim pack (should i not find the store outside the airport). The cost was 2900 kr (around 28$) and came with unlimited local calling, 50 mins of international calls and 2 GB data. An additional 20GB data would cost around 30$ (which would be more than enough for the entire trip). Most hotels have free open wifi for regular use, but you can always purchase the wifi routers online or at the airport (trawire or skyroam for a daily charge). Day 1 – The rat race The flight landed on time, but it took almost 20 mins to get out of the aircraft. After getting out there was a big queue at the immigration counters. The lady at the counter checked the passport and i was heading towards the baggage carousel. It took another 10 mins for my bag to be on the belt. The rental guys had emailed that someone would be at the airport with the sign for me. I went out but could not find anyone, so instead went to the coffee shop to get some coffee. Once i was out i saw a man with my name on his board. I went up to him and then we left in the van for the rental office which was less than a 10 mins drive from there. The bigger rental agencies have got their offices very close to the terminal building (and can be reached on the rental shuttle). I had selected a Hyundai Tucson after lot of contemplation between different compact SUV’s. I saw lot of land cruisers on the way and though i always wanted to drive one, the cost was too high for a solo trip. With a group of 3-4 people the land cruiser becomes very affordable and looks fun to drive. The tucson i got was a 2018 model with around 16000 kms on it and was a diesel one (which is slightly cheaper than petrol). The rental guy did a quick inspection of the car looking for some scratches and damages. It’s good to look thoroughly as I’ve read about people getting charged a lot for small dents, scratches and holes that go unnoticed. After he handed over the key i again went around the car atleast 5 times taking photos and looking for any missed damage. Once i had loaded the bags and setup the dashcam and other equipment it was time to head to the first destination, stopping at some grocery store nearby. I stopped near a shopping complex near the gas station however found that water in the store was around 30$ for 8 bottles of 500ml each. It might be exotic water but spending 30$ for 4 ltrs was not worth it. I instead went to the coffee shop bought a coffee and filled water in my steel bottle for free. Iceland is a very pricey country and if you compare with other places in the world, you would be in for a shock. Anyway I didn't want to waste any more time looking for water and i left for Thingvellir national park to see the tectonic plate divide. On the way i stopped at a parking area and dozed off for about half an hour as i was feeling tired due to lack of sleep. Getting up was refreshing and i ate some packed food that i had got with me before moving on. The speed limits in Iceland are marked very well with two general limits - 90 kmph on paved roads and 80kmph on gravel roads. On the way to thingvellir many stretches of the road had 70 as the limit, so it took a bit longer to reach. At the visitor center, there is a small building a a parking lot. You need to pay for the parking near the toilets on the self-service machines. I did see many people outside the lots as they were already packed with cars. From the visitor center you can go up on a viewing platform which sits near the American tectonic plate. The rangers in the visitor center were somewhat confusing in saying that the platform is on the American plate and the other side is on the microplates and that the European plates were actually a lot farther from that point. You can see a valley like structure and might think that is the divide, but that is not the real divide. The actual split is not visible from the land i think. Few people go diving in the silfra fissure near the visitor center and say they can see the two plates but two of the guides whom i met later on said that its not easy to see the difference and its more marketing that the real tectonic divide. There is a bridge down south that you can go on to say you were on both plates halfway. After spending some time and taking photos i decided to move on as it was getting cloudy and there were other things to see for day 1. I had initially planned to see all of golden circle attractions on day 1 but later decided to visit the volcano in the afternoon. The only slot available was at 3 PM, so that meant skipping few things and visit them later in the trip. The last 20-30 mins of the drive to the meeting point was very scenic and though it was cloudy and dark, the mountains and valleys looked very beautiful. The actual volcano is around an hour's walk from the meeting point. The operator does have options to pick you up from the city but since i had a car, i choose to meet at their destination office. Once i reached i let the guide know that i was for the 3 pm tour and was told that they are expecting the bus from the city by 3:30 and hence there might be a little delay. I grabbed a cup of green tea from the lodge (meeting point) and then setup my camera equipment and jackets and other stuff. Once the bus arrived, we were given some details of the tour and then we started the hike, which was around 60-65 mins. We went over small hillocks and mountains and reached a place that served as the base camp. Inside the camp we were given helmets, safety harness and a short briefing. From there it was a 5 mins hike to the top of the opening of the volcano. There was a lift that was waiting for us and after attaching our harness to the lifts we started the descent. The guide was explaining various features of the volcano and once we descended around 140+mtrs into the magma chamber, the guide gave us a quick briefing of the interiors and told us to stay within the marked trail. My group spent around 40 mins at the bottom of the chamber and since our group was the last one, we had the entire chamber to ourselves with no other groups. The chamber has got an array of colored rocks that were created due to the lava that flowed about 4000 yrs back. Once we came back we again stopped at the base camp where we were served hot soup. After spending another 10-15 mins we were on the way back to the starting point. There was also a baby arctic fox that was roaming around the base camp and was quite friendly with everyone. The staff said the fox spent a lot of time there with them and was quite friendly. It took another hour to reach the meeting point and I decided to get back to the hotel and get some rest. I reached the hotel around 7 PM and since it was not very dark I decided to go to the waterfront area. I also had to fill gas, so looked for some gas stations with open stores, but could not find any of them nearby. I stopped at the sun voyager for some time, clicked some photos and headed back to the hotel. I had got food for the first day, so slept off early since it had been a tiring day with the amount of hiking I had done. stopped at a parking spot   thingvellir national park  lake near thingvellir national park  geysir eruption  fumes coming out of the entire area  the guide mentioned that these type of cracks are due to the tectonic rift  inside the magma chamber, the different colors have been formed by the magma 4000 yrs ago  the lift coming down to take us back  view near the entry to the lift  a small friendly fox at the base camp  views on the hike   I also created a short video of day 1 (timestamp is incorrect on video as camera got reset) Last edited by aditya_rao : 26th October 2018 at 09:19. Reason: Added photos and video |
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20th October 2018, 04:11
| #3 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Day 2 – Waterfalls, clouds, heavy rain and driving Today’s plan had the following: Leave Reykjavik and go to Gluggafoss waterfall Seljalandsfoss Skogafoss Kvernufoss Sólheimasandur plane wreckage Dyrholaey Black sand beach Lava fields Lufskalavaroa Overnight in Vik For my own fault of not cancelling the hotel on time (for free cancellation), I ended up getting a room package without breakfast. The breakfast was around 30$ and after looking at the menu I decided that having it on the way would be better instead of paying for things I don’t eat. Since the previous day was tiring I got up late and left the hotel around 11 AM. Checking out was a simple process and soon I was looking for places to fill up diesel. The one Olis station I found was self-service and the shop inside was not open (or probably closed). So I decided to find something on the way. This was the start of the ring road journey and soon I found an Orkin station before getting out of the city. I enquired if I could fill up and pay inside but was told that I could buy a prepaid card and fill up from the pump. Since this was just the second day, I decided to get a 2000 ISK card (around 9 liters of diesel). The field gauge did not move completely but It probably need another 2-3 ltrs to come to the full mark. On the way I had to go through many roundabouts and traffic was not that bad. At some places the speeds were reduced but traffic was moving in-spite of a single lane. Soon I was on a slightly gravel path and then reached my first stop – Gluggafoss. There were two more cars apart from me and soon they also left due to the rain. I had little time to waste and quickly took some pictures and while it was still drizzling the wind was very strong. At times the tripod (though a heavy one) would start shaking. There is one other waterfall there, but it seems to have been fenced off and hence I could only take photos from a distance. Soon I was on the way again only to discover that google had taken me on a gravel road on the pretext of saving time. Speed was reduced to around 30-40 kmph and even lower at times. The stones were quite big at some places, so I didn’t want to end up getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. I could hardly see 2-3 cars on the way to the main road. It felt as if I had been driving for hours due to the slow speed but after some time I reached the end of the gravel road and was back on the ring road again. The next stop was Seljalandsfoss. You might see the photos of this waterfalls on many websites and is one of the few where you can go behind the waterfall itself (though you would end up getting completely wet). The parking area was somewhat big and is a paid one. You need to go up to the meter to pay for the parking and put the receipt on the dash (around 7 USD). The waterfall is a short walk from the parking and there is a small coffee shop there. The rain had not subsided, so I had no option but to accept and take all the rain gear. I had a gopro and a rain sleeve for the camera, so was somewhat ok (and most phones are waterproof these days). The one mistake I did was wear jeans trouser. Once it gets wet, it becomes very difficult to dry the jeans and if you have more than half a day to go, then it can be uncomfortable. I spent around 30 mins there and then headed back after getting completely wet. All this while I had forgotten that I did not have breakfast, so decided to get a coffee and eat the items I had with me (paratha’s and energy bars). From there the next step was Skogafoss. You would have seen this place in Dilwale for sure (if you watched it). The gerua song has been filmed in most of the south coast places in Iceland (through with lot of effects). Near to skogafoss there is another waterfall behind the skogar museum. I reached the museum but looking at the rain decided to drop this one. It would have probably been a 30-40 mins hike one way and that meant using up almost 2 hrs of daylight on a rainy day. Since my next stop had a walk of about 2 hrs both ways, I decided to move on and skip the museum and the waterfall. Next, I was headed to the Sólheimasandur plane wreckage. This was an old US Navy plan that crashed many years back and has not become a tourist spot. The place is off limits for vehicles (but back in the years people could drive to the wreckage). When I reached the parking area, it had become foggy and the rain had not stopped. So after contemplating for 5-10 mins and seeing some people come back quickly after 2-3 mins I decided to skip this point also. I was not sure if the next two points would worth spending the time in the bad weather but they were not very off from the main road, so worst case I could leave immediately. After some more kms of driving I reached the right turn that would take me to the Dryholaey lighthouse and view point. The initial stretch was paved but then I reached a point where everything looked muddy. There was a sign posted which indicated 4wd is preferred to go ahead. The road was an uphill climb and full of potholes and muddy water (it hadn’t stopped raining, but intensity had reduced). I managed to reach up without any issues (the Tucson was a 4wd and had an option to engage it manually but didn’t feel the need to). On reaching I could see only a small hatchback (Toyota Aygo) and I was smiling to myself thinking whether these people saw the board or not. In summer months it should not be a problem, however in rainy weather there’s always a risk. The wind was blowing hard and I was thinking whether to leave or to go to the lighthouse (a 2-3 mins walk from the parking). Visibility was very low and I was looking outside when I saw the lady in the car come out and wave to me indicating that i should come out. I came out wondering what she was trying to say but realized she and her husband was saying I should not leave without going ahead. So, the three of us decided to go ahead brazing the strong winds and rain and reached the lighthouse. The view (whatever was visible) was amazing and I could see the rock formation and the black sand beaches to some extent. Had it been not raining and windy it would have been an amazing sight. After few mins we all came to our cars and I decided to go to the black sand beach also called the Reynisfjara Beach. This beach is called black sand beach as it is made up of fine grains of volcanic rocks. Iceland mostly has black sand beaches and only the western region has one or two golden sand beaches (which is sand and not finely ground pebbles). In addition to the scenic views at this beach it also is a key point for puffin sightings. The rocks and mountains on the beach provide shelter for the puffins during their nesting period (mostly ends Mid Aug). It also has tall basalt columns which looks like carefully sculpted pillars. However, these have been naturally formed by the forces of nature. Surprisingly the weather at the beach was very good and I could see the sun in between the clouds which was very odd as just few kms away it was very windy and raining. This made me think whether to go back to the light house. I took some pictures and was still in two minds when a group of people started pointing upwards on the cliffs. I noticed that they were pointing towards some birds when I realized that they were puffins. I had given up the hope of seeing any puffins as the season was over but was delighted to see them. I decided to get my telephoto lens (70-300mm). After changing the lens, I ran towards the cliffs and started taking photos however to my disappointment the camera suddenly stopped working and was giving errors that I had never seen before. The autofocus stopped and the manual focus was not giving a clear image at 300 mm. The next 10 mins went by in frantically trying to make it work. On one hand I had given up the idea of seeing any puffins and when the opportunity had presented the camera decides to stop working. I tried taking a video which worked to some extent however the result was not what I wanted. It seemed as the trip behind the waterfall had had its effect on the camera. The camera I had was a full frame and weather sealed one (along with the L lens) so the thought of breaking down with some rain was not convincing. I had no option but to return as the camera wasn’t taking any photos. I tried some photos with the phone, but it has its own limitations and zoom was not one of its features. This was the last point for today and since I had some more time till it became dark, I decided to go to the light house again. Once I entered the inner roads the rain had subsided, and the winds had lost the strength. Feeling confident I reached the parking spot to see atleast 7-8 cars indicating that the weather was good, and I headed off to the viewpoint to get some more pictures. The weather had indeed changed drastically and that is how the Icelandic weather is. The forecasts have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The forecast might say rain, but it may rain only in some parts leaving the other areas bright and sunny. Happy with whatever photos I could take with the phone I headed back to the place of stay (camera was still not working). I checked into the Icelandair hotel Vik (prices are steep compared to the US or other countries) but I got it with the breakfast. After checking in I took a shower left my jeans to dry after the hair dryer therapy on it. I looked up online and found some videos that had the same error I had got earlier. After trying whatever they had suggested, the last thing I did was run the hair dryer on the camera for some time and then wrapped it up in a dry towel. The restaurant was closed by the time I was ready to have something, so the homemade parathas came to the rescue along with the energy bars and other snacks I had. The room description said mountain view, however I realized what that meant in the morning by finding a big wall of rock from the window behind the hotel (all those extra frills are waste in my opinion), I could have got better views in the old hotel section at lower rates but I opted for the renovated rooms with Icelandic design. The new design also offered me a chance to see ants and some insects in the room (for which the reception staff said it was normal during rainy days), which I had not expected to see on the ringroad  Gluggafoss  Another waterfall next to gluggafoss  Seljalandsfoss  Behind the waterfall  Skogafoss  At the upper level of Skogafoss  Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach  Another Black Sand Beach view  distant view of a Puffin  view from Dyrhólaey lighthouse  Day 2 dashcam summary (timestamp is incorrect on video as camera got reset) Last edited by aditya_rao : 26th October 2018 at 09:19. Reason: Added photos |
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20th October 2018, 08:07
| #4 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Day 3 – The day of the glacier The third day of the trip and I had hoped that my camera would be usable again, otherwise the whole trip would be less worthy without the photos I had hoped to take. Except the first and last day I had breakfast included in the hotel room rates. The weather the previous day was not great, and I had only hoped that today would be a better day. When I headed towards the dining area I could see what I had missed the night I had arrived. The hotel was close to the shore and I could see the three pics in the ocean from the black sand beach. The hotel however was on the side away from the shore, so I thought I’ll see it on the way back from the lighthouse (my third visit in less than 24 hrs). I quickly finished breakfast, checked out and headed back to the dryholaey viewpoint. The camera seemed back in action today and that was a big relief. Once I reached the parking lot, there were many more cars than the previous day in line with the good weather. I headed quickly to the view point, took some pictures and a guy came up to me and said “I think I see a whale”. As soon as I heard whale I turned in the direction he was pointing to. I could see a small splash of water but could not make out clearly of what I had seen. I didn’t get the zoom lens out, but was trying with the 24-105mm zooming it to the other end. After scanning the area, I noticed a puff of water near a rock and thought it was definitely a whale. I had not heard or read about whales in this area and just a single whale would be an odd thing since they move in groups. After holding on to the camera for some more time I finally saw what looked like it backs (a shiny black object slowing coming out of the water and going in quickly without a tail slap). In most whale watching tours, one hardly sees the entire whale come out and its either the dorsal fin or the tail that you end up seeing. So, seeing it at an unexpected place was a good thing. It was too far to keep waiting, so I decided to start the day’s plan as it was nearing 11:00. I had planned many things initially for this day, but after adding a glacier hike, had to cut down on many things. So the plan for today was reach the Vatnajokull national park and do the Svartifoss waterfall trek and then do the glacier hike (3-4 hrs at 12:40 pm). However, I left Vik around 11:30 and knew that I was not going to make it on time for the glacier hike. I called artic adventure and they mentioned there were a few delays due to an accident on a single lane bridge so I should try to reach and speak with the office for a reschedule, if required. In the end I managed to reach the visitor center around 1:00 PM, but the bus was leaving, so could not get onto it. The local office was waiting for me as I was the only person missing on the 12:40 tour. They found a spot on the the 2:20 tour, so I took that and had an hour to eat lunch and go around the place. The plan of doing the waterfall hike also looked distant as I was sure to be tired by the time I came back. I didn’t have any options other than waiting there. Food options were limited there, so it was back to the ready to eat stuff. The parking fees is paid inside the visitor center through touch screen machines. No proof is needed as they track the license plates through cameras coming in and going out of the car park. You can however ask for an email confirmation after payment on the payment kiosk. I was back at the booking office after 2 and the asked me to sign the waver forms and after speaking with the person at the counter, I thought of renting the waterproof trousers (slip on type). It was not raining but I again had jeans and I did not buy waterproof hiking trousers before coming, so didn’t want to take chances. The trousers were quite big and had zippers to tighten and loosen the ends. The tour company provides almost everything on rent for 10$ per items – boots, jackets, trousers etc. I already had hiking shoes, jackets and other winter gear, so took only the trousers. The group was then given crampons and ice axes to carry and soon as big bus came to take us to the starting point. It was a 15 mins ride before we started the hike. The first part of the hike was on land going up and down in the muddy and rocky area and then we reached the starting point of the glacier. The ice cap looked quite thick (the guide told it was almost a 1km in the thickest area and around 400-500 mts in other areas). Our guide gave us a demonstration of how to attach the crampons and use the ice axe followed by the rules, dos and don’ts. We then started the hike a single file and kept stopping at view points for photos until it was about 30-40 mins into the hike. The guide then told us that this was the farthest they go on the basic tour and that we had a break of 10 mins before heading back. He also showed how to drink glacial water in a supposedly Viking style (by putting the axe as a support on the ice and then drinking water through a crevice as though doing push-ups. I thought the water would be freezing cold but surprisingly it tasted quite good. Glacial water is pure and is generally fit for drinking as its flowing from the ice caps and since its running constantly, is free from dirt and other unwanted things. Around half of the tour group drank the water and I also collected it in my bottle to have it later on. We then started our descent and were back (although it felt as if we spent double the time coming down). Once we were off the ice layer, we removed the crampons and started out hike back to the parking area (where the bus had left us). As we reached the start point the bus came back just in time to pick us and another group that was waiting already. Within 10-15 mins we were back at the visitor center and returned all the equipment. It was nearing 5:30 and since I didn’t have anything else to do before reaching Hofn (except maybe stopping at the diamond beach depending on the daylight), I decided to go to the Svartifoss waterfall. The waterfall flows from a wall of basalt columns (somewhat like the columns at the beach). The hike takes us to a height of 140 mtrs and is about 40-50 mins one way. After doing a glacier hike, the 40 mins hike seemed never ending and quite tiring. I somehow managed to reach the viewing platform. The viewing platform seems to have been added in recent years as the photos I had seen did not seem to show it and had different viewing angles. I had got the tripod along to avoid blurry shots and after taking some pictures from the viewing platform I did manage to get some from a low angle. After spending around 15-20 mins I headed back. It was almost time for sunset and I got some shots on the way back. Once I was back at the visitor center, I could see that many camper vans had parked in the camping area and people were setting up tents. It looked like there was a big place to setup tents and save some money on the accommodation. I however did not see any shower areas or camping toilets, so not sure if people were on their own or if it was a valid campground. Most people had left the national park (except the campers) and since I had a long way to go, I decided to leave asap and find something to eat on the way. My next stop on the list was the Fjallsárlón lagoon, though I was not sure if I would see anything after sunset. Following the direction from google maps I turned onto a side road and after few mins reached a parking area. It was slightly dark but I couldn’t see any lagoon, nearby so assumed that I had come to the wrong place and headed to the Diamond beach (which was not too far). I parked before the bridge and the icebergs were visible from the parking area. I took some pictures though it was a bit dark but decided not to go to the beach and instead go to the hotel. I had booked a lagoon zodiac boat tour for the next morning and hence had to come back anyway. The hotel was around 40 mins from there and while I tried to look for any restaurant, I could not find anything on the way. I hoped the hotel had something to eat but no reaching found that that restaurant had closed. Since I had some ready to eat packs, I borrowed some utensils and used the water kettles to heat water. Since it was late august I was hoping that I would get to see some northern lights, but it was almost full moon time, so the chances of seeing anything were minimal (the window being very small before moon-rise). After having the ready to eat food, I packed up the bags for the next day and that’s how the day ended. Sunny morning near Dyrhólaey Arch  Dyrhólaey Arch  Beach view from the arch  Another visit to the black sand beah  strong water currents   Basalt rock with column like formations  Spotted a rainbow on the way  Stopped at the begining of the glacier trek for photos  Another photo stop   thick sheets of ice, this is just the outlet glacier. The main section is further away  View while hiking to Svartifoss  Close to Svartifoss  Distant view of the waterfall  a small like on the way  icebergs in the glacier lagoon  Dashcam summary for day 3 (timestamp is incorrect on video as camera got reset) Last edited by aditya_rao : 26th October 2018 at 09:19. Reason: added photos |
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20th October 2018, 09:26
| #5 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Day 4 – Dilwale and a picture worth 250$ Today was low on activities and more of driving. The major activity I had planned was the glacier lagoon tour, diamond beach and then head towards Myvatn (a really long drive across the east to the north). I would have stayed in the east for a night if I had 2 more days, but that was not the case. The boat tour was at 9, so I had to reach by 8:45 atleast. But there was one problem – I had fuel left for hardly 100 kms and I could not take a risk by going low on fuel. Towards west the nearest gas station was around 100+ kms and towards east the nearest was around 15-20 mins from the hotel. So I had to leave even earlier. So after speaking with the guesthouse staff I decided to leave early, do the tour and come back to do the checkout by 12. After having breakfast, I headed quickly to fill up diesel and managed to reach the lagoon parking by 9. I barely parked and ran towards the lagoon truck and made it just in time for the boat tour. The staff quickly gave me the wind and water-resistant suit and life-jackets. The suits keep you warm and protected from water and are buoyant in case someone falls in the water (and life jackets don’t let anyone drown). A mini bus took the passengers to the point where the smaller boats were ready. Two groups were created, and each boat had about 10-15 people. The tour lasted an hour and few mins, and the guide kept explaining the features of the glacier and showed us some unique formations. We were back at the starting point by 10:15 and then I had one more thing to do in that area – diamond beach. The beach is accessible from both sides of the bridge and while I was thinking that the side westwards was better, the eastern had bigger chunks of ice compared to the west (I first walked to the eastern side and thought that the beach was rockier and that assumed that I was on the wrong side. I had little time (due to the 12:00 pm checkout), so I had to decide which side to do. There was some construction going on the bridge, so the traffic was stopped, and I ended up walking all the way to the western side (which turned out to be a bad decision). By the time I reached the beach, the bridge was opened again and my efforts of walking all the way seemed wasted. I still managed to get some pictures but when I looked on the other side the number of ice blocks were more than what I saw this side. I was again in two minds whether to come back after checkout (which meant adding another 40 mins each way). I decided to go back to the hotel and deciding after checkout. I reached just at 12:00 and told that staff that I’ll be checking out in 10 mins to which they seemed fine. After checked I enquired with the owner and he suggested some spots on the eastern size near Hofn. The drive to Myvatn seemed long, so I decided against going back to Diamond beach and headed off eastwards. While checking out the guesthouse owner had suggested to visit Vestrahorn/Stokness. It was near Hofn and on the ring road, so seemed to align with the plan. The access road to vestrahorn is a gravel road and it wasn’t bad in general. Vestrahorn is the mountain that you might have seen the movie Dilwale. The photos always look amazing so I decided to pay the 7$(approx.) entry fee. The area is actually a private land, so they charge an entry fees, otherwise most tourist spots are free in Iceland (Kerid crater is another place where you pay around 4$). Anyway, I paid the fees, got the directions and came out to go as per the route map. When I came out something looked odd with the car. I looked at the rear tire and it looked completely flat. I was shocked as I had never expected a flat tire just by driving on this gravel access road. I had driven in the morning back and forth to the diamond beach and had not noticed anything wrong, so seeing the flat tire gave me a big shock and I had completely overlooked this point of renting a car. So far I had never experienced a flat tire with any of the rentals in the last 10+ yrs or so. I called up the rental company who said they can probably look for a tire shop that will come and fix it but will cost around 19000 ISK. That’s almost 190$ for just fixing one puncture. I checked with the café staff who said it will be around 15-20k ISK (still in the same range). The rental guy suggested chafing it myself. While I have removed tires on my own cars for cleaning the inner side of the wheel, this was not my car, nor had I any experience with the Tucson. After thinking multiple times, I decided to call the mechanic instead of messing anything as I still had half of the trip to go. The mechanic took almost 40 mins to come, changing the tire was a 5 mins job with all the tool he got. Luckily the car had a spare tire in almost new condition. He changed the tire and asked me to follow him to the workshop where he would fix the punctured tire. His workshop was around 30 mins from the café in Hofn. He could not find any nail or screw that could have caused a puncture but said it could be a rock that had created the hole as it wasn’t that big. He applied a simple DIY patch but then took it off after testing it couple of times. He then went the regular route of cleaning up from inside and applying the larger patch from within the inner walls. The tire was ready in 15 mins and said I was good to go with the new tire. The bill? almost 220$. The spare was a new one and had slightly low pressure. I asked him to check the pressure and refill if needed. After checking the tire he said was good on pressure but worst case I could come back and have the old tire fitted if I noticed any issue. That was not an option as I didn’t have time to come back and repeat the circus again. Going back to the café I had lost almost 2.5 hrs including the initial time I spent at the café. I had to visit two more places in the east as per the initial plan and losing these 2 hrs were making those two places distant thought. At this point I had to make a choice between skipping Vestrahorn or skipping something else on the way. After spending 200+ $ and 2+ hrs, I was in no mood to skip this place, so decided to go ahead and do what I had planned. I spent around 30 mins in the two parking areas, quickly taking photos and then left the place checking for the tire pressure monitor every 15-20 mins. I did not want to see another puncture in this trip. I had read in some travel blog that they had encountered an old man running around carrying a picture of Shahrukh khan asking for money to go in the photo/view points at Vestrahorn, however I feel they were just stories rather than reality. The place is well marked and neither the owner nor the café staff run around asking for money. The fee is posted clearly on the café (inside and outside) and the staff gives a QR coded visiting card that works at the automatic barrier at the entrance. There is a movie set also for some Viking movie but I did not visit that part. You can actually spend 2-3 hrs easily at this place. And that’s how the Vestrahorn photo cost me 250$ (including the fees and other snacks I had there). It was around 5:30 when I left the café and I started back on the ring road marking the next stop of Hengifoss car park. The total distance remaining was around 600 kms (for the stops I had included on the way to Myvatn) and it was nearing 6. So there was no option but to take a realistic decision and I decided to skip most of the places and head directly to Myvatn. This reduced the journey to around 350 kms in about 5 hrs (any stops would be additional. The route however took me through Oxi pass (which is a diversion on the ring road for highway 95). This was a gravel road and I stopped at a construction site to check with the workers for the route condition. One o them said it will definitely take less time than following the regular route, but at lower speeds. After having driven in Alaska, I knew how bad the gravel roads would be, but considering i had paid a big bill for a flat tire, it was skeptical. Since i was short on time I decided to give it a try at much lower speeds. The road was bad for some extend and kept changing from gravel to paved and back go gravel. On the way i saw some Audi's and other smaller hatchbacks, so assumed it was not that bad altogether considering I had a bigger car. After a long and slow drive over the pass, I finally made it to the regular paved road. I stopped at gas station for some dinner and then continued the journey to Myvatn reaching around 11:00 PM. When I checked in the receptionist told me that the hotel was out of rooms for my booking, but said she would upgrade to a superior room type. The room was luxurious with a bath area as big as a room, leather sofa, an 80 inch led tv, multiple room fixtures and a comfortable bed. This was the first place where I saw body cream being provided in the rooms. So far, I had not seen any hotel provide any toiletries except for some basic shower gel, so this was definitely a welcome upgrade. Next morning I had an extra hour compared to the prior days, so I was hoping to get a good night’s rest. Icebergs in the lagoon    Humanface in the icerberg, it actually looks like 2 faces one lying down and one looking up  the glacier from a distance  Diamond beach  near the bridge  Somewhere on the ring road   lighthouse at vestrahorn  The photo for which i came to vestrahorn  Red chair near Hofn  somehwere again on the ringroad   Dashcam summary from day 4 (timestamp is incorrect on video as camera got reset) Last edited by aditya_rao : 26th October 2018 at 09:20. |
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20th October 2018, 09:59
| #6 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Day 5: Whale watching capital or not? Things planned for the day: Whale watching Sulphur fields Dettifoss Grjótagjá Godafoss Akureyri Today was supposed to be slightly relaxed as I had less of driving more of sightseeing. Most places i have been to recently have got some whale watching options. And having read about Husavik (supposedly called whale watching capital), i was interested in taking a tour. Based on reviews and tour details. i decided to take a smaller boat with gentle giants. They offer a RIB boat tour, which is like a big speed boat with small seats on which you can be in a standing/ seated position. The cost was higher than the regular larger boat, but smaller boats cover longer distances, and that increases the chances of spotting whales or other wildlife. I had initially booked the 9 AM tour, but later changed it to 10 AM, considering that i would be reaching quite late in Myvatn. From there it was an hour’s drive to Husavik. After having breakfast i checked out of the room and headed in the direction shown by the map. I was running late by 10 mins but thought there is a shorter route shown by google maps, so that would still take me on time. But shorter distances don't mean shorter times. As I reached the intersection the road was closed, and a sign was posted that after 5 kms the road is completely closed and i need to take a diversion on a longer route. I was already late, and the longer route meant adding another 15 mins delay. All in all, i was going to reach exactly at 10 instead of 9:30 as planned earlier. I was hoping they would put me on a later tour in case i didn't make it on time, so kept going. I reached around 10:05 and there was no parking in front of their office. But i did see some people had parked along the office pavement, so i too parked there and decided to take chance. I quickly headed into the office and told them that i was for the 10 am tour and they said if the tour hasn't left, i can still go on it. The lady at the counter quickly called the guide and told me that they were still getting ready with the suits and that i should hurry up to the harbor. The harbor was just behind the office, so i rushed downstairs where the guide was waiting with the full body jacket and floating suit. Within 5 mins the entire group was ready to board the boats. The guide started with a statement that we should go on the tour without any hope and if we see anything then that would be very good. I was thinking if we had to go without any hope, then why would even spend so much on this boat, rather the bigger boat would have been much more economical and without any expectations. Wildlife is unpredictable and i get that but spending so much money and getting to hear no hope wasn't something i was expecting. I had been on whale watching tours before also and each time the operators used to say that while we'll see some wildlife that is interesting, whale sightings are welcome, but if not, they did try to show other things in the area. Anyway, we started going ahead faster than the bigger boats and soon the guide indicated that she had seen a spout. It was very bright, so i could hardly make out what she was pointing to, but when we went closer i did see a small spray of water. That's a good sign, there is atleast one whale in the area. The next 15-20 mins went by in just waiting and then she said let's go ahead as the whale might not come out. As we were moving ahead we saw 2 big ships circling an area and she indicated that there must be a whale there. We went there and so did the other smaller 4 or 5 speed boats. This time i could see the dorsal fin slightly come out and go back into the water. We again waited and then finally could see the whale go for a dive and managed to see the tail. The guide said that we had seen one whale, so we had achieved what we came for and it was time to go ahead and take a break. To be honest seeing a tail can't be classified as an achievement (atleast for me), but it’s still better than seeing nothing. We went ahead and then stopped at a place where the water was calm. The guide then gave some details on the whales and how they move around, habitat, breeding etc. When i asked how many whales came to this part of Iceland, she replied on the best day in the year there might be around 15 whales in the entire region. The answer surprised me because Hawaii has a much larger number even on days with bad weather. I had myself seen atleast 6-7 whales on a rainy day when the guide said it’s not a good day to spot whales but we still should see the tails of a few of them. The guide then offered Icelandic liquor and non-alcoholic drinks during the break and soon it was time to head back. On the way back, we saw the same whale do a tail slap, so it wasn't that bad. The only disturbing thing was that since there was only one whale in the area, atleast 8-9 boats were circling it all the time. I don't know if the whale felt trapped, but I would not want to see so many big objects surrounding me for the sake of tourism. The overall tour last around 2.5 hrs and after unloading and returning the jackets they had given, i headed back to the car, ate some snacks and then headed for a quick refuel at the Olis station on the main road. I was supposed to see Dettifoss the previous night, had I started on time. So this was pushed to today’s plan. The road to Dettifoss was mostly deserted, but when I reached there I saw that the parking lot was somewhat crowded. Most people were either at the waterfall or hiking to other areas nearby. The hike was around 20-30 mins and on the way I saw a board for Selfoss, which is another waterfall on the upper section of the river. There are two viewing points for Dettifoss and once you are close, you can feel the power of the waterfall. Its called the biggest in Europe, however I feel Niagara is bigger than it. After staying there for some time, I decided to go the Selfoss also, which added another 20 mins to the walk. I could not go closer to Selfoss as the area near it was closed off by temporary ropes, but I did see another photographer cross the barriers to go closer. Most people stayed within the limits of the ropes. From there I hiked/walked back to the car and left for the next point which was the Sulphur fields. I had decided to go to the Grjótagjá caves also, but someone that went off my mind and I realized only after reaching the hotel. On the way to the Sulphur field I noticed a board for the Krafla crater. I could see lot of smoke coming out so wondered if it was active. I decided to take a chance and then headed in that direction, but as I was nearing it, it turned out to be a power plant that makes use of the geothermal energy. The crater viewpoint is further ahead of the power plant. The next step was the Sulphur fields. These aren't as big as you would find in Yellowstone national park but are still a unique feature to be a tourist attraction as you can go much closer to the place where gas is coming out. The area is quite smelly, so you can’t spend a lot of time without inhaling the gases. It was getting dark, so I decided to call it a day for sightseeing and on the way back took a detour to the Myvatn nature baths. This place is less crowded compared to the blue lagoon and less expensive. I just wanted to get an experience of the baths so did not stay for a long time. The water felt luke warm and after some time It wasn’t that interesting. If you have a group then probably you can chit chat and enjoy the time together, but otherwise I didn’t have any other plans to stay longer. As I was leaving I realized I had not seen Godafoss (called waterfall of gods) and since this was one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland, I could not miss it. It was on the way to Akureyri, the destination for tonight. I finally made it before it was too dark and managed to get some good photos from both sides of the waterfall. From there it was straight to the hotel in Akureyri. My ready to eat items came in handy as most restaurants had closed by the time I reached. start of whale watching tour  searching for whales along with another boat  a waterfall near the hills  spotted a whale  another minor glance  lava fields near myvatn  dettifoss  selfoss  krafla viti crater lake  geothermal fields   godafoss, waterfall of gods  Last edited by aditya_rao : 26th October 2018 at 09:10. Reason: added photos |
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21st October 2018, 00:48
| #7 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Day 6 – Drive all the way Plan for the day Akureyri to siglufjörður Trollaskagi Kolugljúfur Canyon Kirkjufell mountain Arnastapi Today was the second day in the trip with the longest driving distance (500+ kms). The weather today wasn’t looking good and it had been cloudy since night, but after checkout I didn’t have lot of hope on seeing sunlight. I was initially planning to stay in siglufjörður but due to the distance I had decided to stay back in Akureyri (which was a good decision). The drive to siglufjörður is scenic, so I decided to follow the coastal route all the way to the Snaefellness peninsula. Having heard about Trollaskagi I decided to follow the route stopping only for photos. The previous day I met a fellow photographer, who told me that Hvítserkur was in the north (though the map was showing it on the eastern side). Later I realized that there is a similar place on the eastern part, which I had added to my plan. Luckily this seemed on the route (only to find out that it was a muddy road for a big portion of the detour). Anyway, after passing the two towns I reached Hvitserkur. At first, I didn’t see the rock from the parking lot but there was a small sign posted for the trail. I took the tripod and camera hoping to get a good place to set it up. The viewing platform was hardly 5-10 mins and there was a unmarked trail to go the beach near the rock. Having a heavy ripod and big camera made it difficult to climb down, but there was no other option. Once at the beach level, the rock can be seen from a different perspective. When I was setting up the tripod, the clouds suddenly moved away and since it had rained sometime back, a beautiful rainbow appeared. After some time, there was a second rainbow and there was nothing more I could ask for after the treacherous drive. After clicking photos, I had to pack up and head to the canyon. The drive back was on the same route through the potholes and muddy patches. After experiencing the flat tire, I was worried every time I saw a gravel road or potholes. Luckily the tires took the brunt without complaining. The next stop was the canyon. The route to the canyon was also a detour from the main road and again through gravel type of roads and muddy/pothole ridden patches. I went as slow as possible. There was a small parking after a one way bridge at the canyon. There were only two cars at the canyon and I didn’t take a lot of time taking photos. Once done it was time to start the return journey and head to the western part of the island. The journey took me through the ring road and then came a diversion. There were two routes – one longer but staying more on ring road and one shorter but going off the ring road. I again made the mistake of following google maps and not researching about the road beforehand. The initial detour was paved but then it started to rain and after some time there was a board for gravel road and then I realized that it was going to be like this for the next 30-40 kms. If I turned back, it would add another hour and that too without any guarantee that I would not get onto a gravel road. There not even a single creature on the road for kms. After almost an hour I saw a hatchback. If a hatchback could come all the way, then I guess it wasn’t such a bad idea. But the rain increased and after some time it was purring like anything. That combined with the lack of any lights on the gravel roads and low visibility made me rethink whether I should seriously go back and find some other accommodation. I would lose money but better safe than getting stuck. In the process of thinking, the map took me back on a paved road and then the it was a combination of gravel and paved roads for a long time. The last part of the drive was on paved roads as I entered small towns and I finally reached the hotel around 11. The restaurant had closed and though I had stopped on the way to have a quick bite at the gas station, I was still hungry. I borrowed some utensils from the reception and relied on the ready to eat items that just needed hot water. Sometimes the tasteless ready to eat food also tastes like heaven. It rained the entire night with thunderstorms and strong winds blowing through the different hotel units. somewhere on the way   Siglufjörður town   Lighthouse in Tröllaskagi   horses at a local farm  distant rainbow  Hvítserkur rock that resembles a dragon drinking water  Kolugljúfur canyon waterfall  another local horse farm/ranch on the way to Arnastapi  Last edited by aditya_rao : 26th October 2018 at 09:09. Reason: added photos |
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21st October 2018, 00:57
| #8 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Day 7 – Rain rain go away come again another day Today's plan had the following: Gatklettur Arnastapi status Golden sand beach Kirkjufell mountain (and waterfall) Ytri-tunga and few other places in the area After raining all night, it wasn't that great in the morning. The hotel was a collection of smaller units housing 15-16 rooms in each unit (all single storey). The previous night i did not realize that it was so close to the ocean and which was the real reason for the strong winds at night. The picture became clear in the morning. After having breakfast i had lined up many things to be done in the Snaefellness peninsula but wasn't sure whether i would see anything Many of the points of interest were there because i had read about them somewhere. The statue was next to the hotel and was walk-able. So i went there only to realize that my memory card was full and i hadn't cleared up space the previous night. So had to run back and get a new one from the car. Ahead of the statue, i could see the coast line and the ocean. Since many people were walking up to the view point i too decided to go and take some photos. The wind had become strong and it was getting hard to stand still. After spending some time here i came back and then looked up the second point. The duration was showing as 5 mins, so i wondered if i had put in the right place on the map. It still showed as if i was next to it. To avoid any confusion i went back to the hotel reception and asked them for guidance. The first staff member did not know about it, so she called another person who said it was the right place and was hardly a 5-10 mins walk from the reception. So i had to again park the car and then walked to the point where i could see the rock formation. On sunny days people have been spotted going on the rock formation also, but today was a bad day to even stand at the viewpoint. After taking some pictures and videos i decided to move on and switched to the next point. Looking at the weather i had to strike off some points that would have been worth a visit on a sunny day, but i decided to go to Londranger as it was on the way to the visitor center where I could get some more information. Londragner is a series of rock formations on the coast line made out of basalt during volcanic eruptions. The view point is a very short walk from the parking but due to the strong winds, it was becoming very difficult to stay there for more than min. After taking photos I came back and started for the visitor center for the Snaefellsjokull national park. The rangers said that due to weather most places would not be so great to see but i could see some rock formations on the way. The entire route is circular and i can cover the entire peninsula in one direction. There was also a lighthouse near the visitor center called Malariff lighthouse. After a short walk of 5 mins i reached the lighthouse and the caretaker said that there are 110 stairs to the top of the light house and gave a leaflet about some exhibits in the lighthouse. It took around 10-15 mins to reach the top. From there was a ladder to come on the open section of the lighthouse (where the reflectors are there. I could hear the wind howling but thought it would still be worthwhile to see it from the open area. Once on the top open section i realized why it wasn't a great idea as the wind was hitting ferociously and there was no way i could stand still for more than a few seconds. So i circled around once, took some photos and decided to go down. Once out of the lighthouse and back at the visitor center it was time to go to the next step. The ranger had mentioned that there were some lava tubes on the way and there was a guided tour for around 40$.I had been inside a volcano on day one but looking at the weather decided that this might still be fun. The Vatnshellir cave booking center is just off the road and is very much visible. There was a tour group that was starting in 10 mins and so i booked. The tour duration was anywhere between 60-70 mins. Everyone was given a safety helmet and a torchlight. The entire group was split into 2 groups and i was in the first group to go into the lava tube. There were three tubes that we were going go into and the guide kept showing us various features and telling about how they get formed. At point he also mentioned that there would be more tubes beneath as the rock layer was quite porous. He jumped at one corner to show that the sound made by the jumping was indicating a hollow structure below us. in another section he showed us how dark it was after switching off all lights and opening or closing our eyes had no effect. We were also told to scream, to experience that there was no echo in the caves as in generally observed in many land based caves. The tubes were at different levels, so there were ladders kept at various points for easy access. After visiting all the tubes, we came out and it was time to move on. From there the next point was the Djúpalónssandur pebble beach (black sand beach). Here you will also find remnants of an old ship that hit the beach many years back. Whatever remains on the beach is rusted iron so one should be careful avoid touching it. The waves were indeed very strong (similar to the black sand beach on the south coast) hitting the beach hard. The view today wasn’t great due to the weather however on a sunny day, there are many more things to see especially rock formations. There are also some lifting stones that were used in the earlier days which determined the strength of fishermen. After returning to the car park, it was time to move on as I had to travel to Reykjavik on the same day for the last night. Since the previous day was unfruitful to see anything, Kirkjufell was pushed to today. So this was the next stop. The parking lot seemed full, however a car backed out to my luck and I was able to quickly park and head to the viewpoint at the top of the waterfall. The waterfall is not very big and you can go around it. Being cloudy the views of the mountain and the waterfall were good but not as great as I had hoped for. After staying there for around 30 mins it was time to the leave the peninsula. I had plans to see two more places Ytri-tunga for some seal spotting and Gerduberg cliffs. However, my destination was still far away and with current estimates I would reach around 9:30 PM in Reykjavik. I had not planned for dinner, so the first stop would be dinner followed by the accommodation. Few of the restaurants I had searched were about to close, so i finally found one Indian restaurant that was open till 11. After going in circles to find parking i found a multi-level parking garage and walked from there to the restaurant, which was around 5-10 mins from the garage. After finishing dinner it was time to go to the place I was going stay at. I had read about pod styled hostels on the TV and searching through the internet, i found one in Reykjavik, so that was going to be my hotel for tonight. The video walk-throughs on youtube had given me an idea of how it would be, but what we see on tv is not always same as reality. Anyway I reached the hostel, which was on one of the main roads. Parking was not clearly mentioned in the instructions, but since I was arriving after 11 PM, there was an access key provided and the digital keys would be left at the reception with names on it. So after few unsuccessful try's wit the access door I finally managed to get onto the third floor with my luggage. The hostel was fully occupied and some people had still not checked in (based on their key cards lying at the reception even around midnight). After locating my pod, I quickly changed, set the alarm and slept off without worrying about what else I had planned to see around the area. Near the Arnastapi statue  Gatklettur  Lóndrangar basalt rocks   Malarrif Lighthouse  golden sand beach  Svodufoss  Kirkjufell  On the way  Dashcam summary for day 7 Last edited by aditya_rao : 26th October 2018 at 09:08. Reason: added photos |
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21st October 2018, 01:03
| #9 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
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| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Day 8 – Half day to home The alarm woke me up around 7 AM and the sun was shining onto my pod (my pod was facing the main road and the sun). After getting ready, I checked if there was any breakfast worth trying out. The cost was around 10-12$ if I remember correctly. However, the options did not interest me that much, so decided to checkout and decide the plan for the day. On the first day, I had missed some of the attractions near Reykjavik, so I could either choose them before heading for the airport or go around the city and then head towards the airport. Since the attractions outside of the city were more scenic, I decided to visit them. My first stop was Bruarfoss Waterfalls. The only issue with this waterfall is that there is no marked route. During my initial research I had read that there was a parking lot from where you could hike for around an hour before reaching the waterfall, but that access point was on a private property and the owner had shut down the access to visitors. Some people had recommended taking a horse tour from somewhere else. Just a day before I left for Iceland, I again read that the access was opened and people were able to hike up to the waterfall, so I decided to take this option. Google maps doesn’t mark it out clearly, but I could see a location for waterfall access bridge. So, I entered that as the destination and started my day. I had some left over ready to eat packs, which I had on the way. After an hour’s drive, I reached the point indicated by the map, however there was an automatic barrier at the entrance with private property signs. Either google had brought me toe the wrong place, or there was some way of getting to the waterfall. I parked outside and went inside the area to find 2 cars parked in front of a lodge type building. I could not find anything inside to ask for directions. So disappointed I had to come back and decide – whether to waste more time in finding out the location or head to the next destination. Gulfoss was my next destination and the weather was switching between cloudy and being sunny. Time was running out, so I decided to move on and reached the waterfall parking. The parking lot was full, and people were parking on the side of the roads as there was no other option. There are two viewing areas – one at an elevation and one at a lower elevation. I took the lower one as that seemed less crowded, while most buses were taking the higher ground. The walk to the waterfall was hardly 5 mins and after taking some photos i decided to start back. I had two more things in mind – visit the Hallgrímskirkja and buy some souvenirs in the city. On the way back I also passed the Geysir but decided not to stop except for coffee at the restaurant. I also had to fill up gas, so did that at the N1 station nearby (a final refill would still be needed before returning the car). Once in the city, the traffic had increased and it took a while to get to the Hallgrímskirkja. While looking for parking I quickly found an easy spot. After taking some pictures it was again time to head back for souvenirs, however the search was not an easy one. The hostel staff had suggested that I could find good stores on the street near the hostel, but even after going up and down couple of times, I could hardly locate a store. I found a book shop selling some DVDs and some other gifts, but no the souvenirs I was looking for. So as a last option I decided to look for them at the airport. That meant I didn’t have anything else to see in the city and entered the rental office as my destination. I also had to fill up diesel before reaching the office. After scanning many gas stations, I finally located an Olis station near the rental office. I was hardly 5 mins away from the gas station when i realized i was going through some residential area near the airport and then I reached a place that was opposite the airport which felt odd. I could not find any gas station in sight, but I did see the big fuel containers that are used to store the fuel from the oil manufacturing companies. Did google think that was a gas station? I had no clue! It near past 2 PM and I either had to return with less fuel or find another gas station. I found a working OB gas station around 10 mins from there, but after reaching there realized that it was a self-service one and the store was closed (probably due to Sunday). Now I had wasted another 15 mins in going there and waiting to find another station. As a last try I searched for an Olis station and the map indicated that it was around 15 mins. I didn’t want to give up, so i decided to try it anyway. Luckily this was a pump and pay inside on and I was able to fill up and even cleared up the trash and packed my bag after filling up. The rental office was around 7 mins from here, so i wasn’t far. Once i reached the rental office, the return took around 10 mins. The office staff inspected the car and gave a thumbs-up sign to indicate that everything was good. I was afraid they would bring up the tire issue, but that was not a problem since the tire was already fixed. After that it took another 20 mins to head back as there was another return and the rental guy was going to drive all of us to the airport. At the airport the check-in queue was huge. I had tried web check-in however that did not work properly. It took 30 mins to get to the check-in counter. After the check-in I headed up to security where it took another 15 mins to get through the lines and entire process. The weird thing I noticed was that before you enter the security queue, they keep asking everyone for their nationality, which seemed a bit odd. I don’t know the reason for doing this, but probably they are capturing statistics on the visitors (which they could anyway do from the immigration records) or it just way to add to employment. The other thing is you have to scan your boarding pass multiple times at the airport. From there I headed up to the restaurant and thought of ordering some food. But then I had to buy some souvenirs. So, headed off to the shops and bought some items. The shops there claim that they are tax free and are cheaper than city shops. Whether that is a true or not, I don’t know - I didn’t have an option to compare. After the purchases I was in two minds whether to eat there or on the flight. The flight was around 6 hrs and I would feel hungry anyway, so decided with the option of purchasing it on the flight. From there I had to go the boarding gate. While walking towards the gate i noticed a huge line and I thought it was for some other flight, but after walking for 15+ mins I realized something was odd about that line. It a never ending one. After going further ahead I asked an airport staffer about my flight and she said i have to be in that same line that I had crossed 20 mins back if I'm not a EU citizen. Behind me there were few more people looking for directions (some of them had flights departing in 30 mins). After getting this shock i decided to run towards the starting point and the original point I had crossed had move further back. So after running along with the other groups of people I managed to get into the line. From there it was another 15-20 mins slow walk after which there was another immigration counter. The office took the passport, stamped and handed it back. During this time, I was hearing announcements being made for passengers who had not boarded. For some it was the final call, for another family it was final final call and for another group it was absolute final final final boarding call. It took another 10-15 mins to reach the boarding gate, where another lengthy queue had already been created for almost every boarding gate. I have never witnessed a more chaotic boarding area before despite being at busy airports. It took another 30 mins to board the aircraft and they even made many people do a gate check-in for their bags citing lack of space(which was not the case as there many empty overhead bins.) I finally sat down tired from the running around and decided to sleep for some time. The flight departed with a delay of about 30-40 mins. I purchased some food and watched some movies before touching down. The overall delay had reduced to around 15-20 mins but getting the bags took almost an hour. I called a lyft taxi and if things had to go any more south, the previous passenger had left her bag in the taxi and the driver ended up taking circles to get it back to her. The 20 mins journey became an hour long as she took a wrong exit and eventually we had to get back on the same route after taking another detour. I reached home at 10 PM. The only thing I was happy about was to see my family, have dinner and sleep. The next day was a holiday, so I had lot of time to sleep and talk about it. Gulfoss  Kerid crater lake  Hallgrímskirkja  Dashcam summary for day 8 Last edited by aditya_rao : 27th October 2018 at 08:49. Reason: added photos |
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21st October 2018, 01:08
| #10 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
Posts: 152
Thanked: 684 Times
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29th October 2018, 07:13
| #11 |
| Distinguished - BHPian   | |
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29th October 2018, 15:15
| #12 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 192
Thanked: 863 Times
| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland That was a magnificent solo trip and truly inspirational. Thank you for that gargantuan write-up  providing in-depth insights and information. |
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29th October 2018, 22:00
| #13 |
| BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: cochin
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30th October 2018, 11:32
| #14 |
| Team-BHP Support   | Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Thanks for the writeup. You mentioned clicking a whole lot of photos, but looks like we posted only a few from the set on here. Do post more, if possible. Sometimes even the most mundane snaps to our eye help present a picture to the rest of the populace about a place.  |
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31st October 2018, 02:55
| #15 | |||
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Pune/NJ/Canada
Posts: 152
Thanked: 684 Times
| Re: Solo Road Trip in Iceland Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Last edited by aditya_rao : 31st October 2018 at 02:57. | |||
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