All Together Again

En-Route

And just like that these trips are over. I have to start by giving a shout out to Magnús Thoroddsen of Prime Tours. This quick trip would not have been the same without him. A great driver, guide and traveling companion gave us all the flexibility we wanted and kept us on schedule. And lots of laughs as well. Takk fyrir Magnús!

Our patient driver Magnús Thotoddsen. Our patient driver Magnús Thotoddsen.

And just like that these trips are over. Kim and I returned home via Seattle, the 7 hour leg from Reykjavik seemed much shorter. Clearing U.S. customs in Seattle was incredibly fast, starting on the last trip we started using the Mobile Passport App for to get through customs, they claim you will “breeze through customs” and we certainly did. We filed our customs declaration electronically when we landed and received back a receipt per traveler good for 4 hours. When we approached the immigration posts we showed them the receipts and they told us to go on to collect our luggage. Barely stopped. After we gathered our luggage we showed the receipts to a customs agent at the start of lines, they opened up a special queue for us and the agent there scanned the receipts QR codes and we were off. Longest delay we encountered in the whole exercise was waiting for our luggage to arrive. The Alaska Airlines flight home was just as quick, made nicer by the fact that the 737-8 we were on was only two weeks old and still had that new plane smell! Next thing we knew we were having our traditional end of trip meal, Tony and Alba’s Pizza.

Sydney came home the day after we did. We built in a cushion in case we got delayed. She flew home from Managua via Houston having to get up at 3:00am to make the flight. Yikes! On top of that flight delays at SFO delayed her return until the evening. Syd shed some happy tears when she saw us, she enjoyed the trip but was very glad to be back. On the way home she told us about her journey, building the playground, swimming in lake left by a volcano, no hot water and endless beans and rice. She brought home some thoughtful gifts, she made Kim a bird with a ‘V’ in it because Kim is a Virgo, plus she some coffee beans from La Garnacha for obvious reasons. Syd said she tried to avoid anything that looked touristy, she certainly did a good job. At home she was happily reunited with Max who has been her constant friend all her life. Then she noticed the gifts we brought her from our trip said she loved them then said, “Wait. You went to Iceland?” After a little dance and many “OMGs” she said she was ok and in fact wanted to get to other new countries before we do. Sydney also admitted she is glad we did not tell her what we were planning, she would have worried. We thought this may be the case and are glad with the out come. Kim and I thought the travels may turn her off and instead she is turning it into a competition. Good.

With that this blog is over. Certainly a unique one, a blog on travels to Nicaragua and Iceland at the same time. But all I can say is I am grateful for all of us to have these opportunities.

And once again my thanks to Maggie at Ladera Travel, another great trip made better with your guidance. Thanks also to Nancy and Les at Ladera for having such a great crew. What is next? Chile and Easter Island certainly calling but lets just see…

Out of Reykjavik Out of Reykjavik
Eastern Greenland Eastern Greenland
Western Greenland Western Greenland
Western Greenland Western Greenland
The Canadian Rockies The Canadian Rockies
Home again Home again
Syd's first flight leg home is over. Syd’s first flight leg home is over.
Finally on the move home. Finally on the move home.
Some tears are good. Some tears are good.
Syd and Max reunited. Syd and Max reunited.
What, what is that? What, what is that?

So You Want To Go To Iceland…

Iceland

Iceland is a very interesting place to visit, very scenic, great food and very friendly people. The country is very clean as well, the air is clear so you can see longer distances than you can at home. Also there was a surprising lack of trash on the side of the roads making the countryside much more scenic. When I mentioned this fact to our guide Magnús he said this was not always true, people used to throw trash out the car windows and there was a lot of abandon farm equipment in the farm regions. Then 10 to 12 years ago there was a concerted effort to clean all this up and it stuck. The countryside is quite clean Magnús said the influx of tourists in recent years has only reinforced to Icelanders what a special place they live in.

Iceland is also very different than other places we have visited, there is nothing that should impede a visit but you should keep them in mind as you plan your trip. First you are in or the Arctic region and the weather can change very rapidly. Be prepared for this. Understand what the conditions are going to be like at the time of year you are going to visit. We studied this and knew what to expect and were not caught off guard but not everyone does this. After we visited Seljalandsfoss Magnús told us that he had taken a group on a day trip out to the falls and they were disappointment with the trip commenting how cold, wet and dark it was. When I asked when this was he said last December. I had to laugh, what did they expect that time of I asked him and he said he was not sure. The only thing I could think of they were so excited that they were going to Iceland that they did not consider when they were going. So keep this in mind as you plan.

Another thing you should consider as you plan your trip is the how undeveloped Iceland really is when it comes for tourists especially if you decide to drive yourselves around. Yes there are roads but once you get out of Reykjavík the roads are two lanes with many one lane bridges (Einbreid Brú) crossing the waterways. The bridges can be dangerous and a certain amount of courtesy to other vehicles is needed crossing the bridges. There are signs marking where you are but they are small and may be easy to miss if the conditions are not ideal.  And when you find you are at a place you wish to stop, there is lots of beautiful scenery and the impulse to stop is great, don’t cause an issue for the traffic behind you and stop on the road. Magnús said stopping in the road was a clear sign of  tourist, please pull to the side.

You also need to plan for fuel consumption and food a bit better than on other trips once you get out of Reykjavík. The urban area ends quickly and about an hour outside the city we saw the last grocery store, beyond that not much. There are no rest-stops to pull over in and the towns are truly working towns for the industry they serve. There may be a gas station (a single one) that may have food but the food is not the best there Magnús said. Hotels are starting to be built, farmers are starting to pick up on the tourist trade but again they are few and far between. The hotels most certainly serve food, there is rarely another place for guests to go nearby but the kitchens will not be open all day, only for dinner. Breakfast is most likely only for guests. And since the hotels are few they are full so spontaneous trips into the countryside grabbing a hotel along the way will not work.

Another thing we heard from several people is tourists leaving the main road and getting themselves in trouble quickly. A couple we talked to in Vik told us the took a jeep tour into the interior and the guide had to pull a tourist’s rental car out of a river. The road had changed and they were unprepared. The car was a total loss and there is a hefty fine for this they said. We discussed this with Magnús, he said people sometimes decide to try what looks like a shortcut and find after a long drive on the road that it is not ideal, closed or the weather conditions have changed and now they have to turn around. And if they now get in any trouble help may be a long time coming if at all. So stick to the main roads and if you want to be adventurous hire a local.

Ok enough on this. I encourage you all to visit Iceland but please plan your trip with a little extra care than you would on other trips.