Operation: Rescue Holly

Colleen and I flew out to San Antonio, Texas on Saturday with one mission: help Holly pack up her apartment, sell her car, and drive her back home to California. To assist in this mission we rented a white Chevy Impala that we have named Grandma Pearl. We fit all our bags in Grandma Pearl's ample trunk and if Carmax will hurry up with the paperwork, we will get the hell out of Texas.

Last Few Days and a Little Advice

I learned a somewhat obvious life lesson on the road from Myvatn to Akureyri and I thought I should share. If you see an amazing waterfall just across a bridge and a rest stop before the bridge, stop and use the bathroom before heading to the waterfall. You will enjoy it far more. I recommend this even if you don't think you need to go because as soon as you step out of the car to the roar of the falls, you'll regret it.

The waterfall that taught me this lesson was the last of the well known falls I would see on my tour of the island. It's named Godafoss (waterfall of the gods), named because some tribal leader dumped all his pagan idols into it when he converted to Christianity.

After a short while longer, I arrived in Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland with a whopping population of 17,000. Compared to every town I've stayed in outside Reykjavik, it was huge. I was thrilled to have more than two dining choices.

The following day I had a long drive back to Reykjavik, nearly 400 kilometers in a single day. The drive, while long, was just as scenic as every other drive in the country. After several hours and a few stops, I finally made it back to the capital.

My last day in Reykjavik was spent touring around, including a free walking tour, which I highly recommend, and some window shopping. I considered bring some souvenirs and gifts, but after nearly two weeks drinking $5 coffees and eating $30 hamburgers, I couldn't bring myself to buy a $40 t-shirt or $70 mud mask.

My recommendation... go to Iceland but budget to spend a lot of money on food and lodging. Fortunately, nature I'd free. And don't worry about GPS :)

Frozen Fosses

From Borgarfjord, it was time to start heading west. I took the scenic route to Lake Myvatn, stopping first at Dettifoss. Dettifoss, is not the biggest or tallest waterfall in Iceland but apparently it is the largest in terms of the volume of water posing over it per year. Just beyond Dettifoss, is Selfoss. If Dettifoss was a large fist, Selfoss, were its delicate, unclenched fingers. The only real disappointment was the non stop rain that prevented any rainbows from peaking out from the mist.

From Dettifoss, I continued north along a bumpy, gravel road to the coast. The drive along the coast was beautiful, one cliff after another drawing down to the sea. I stopped for a while in Husavik, the whale watching capitol of Iceland. I briefly contemplated jumping on one of the whale tours, but the thought of being out at sea in a small boat in the rain just didn't seem worth it.

The following morning I had booked a tour to the Lofthellir cave. When I woke and saw the rain was really coming down, I was happy that the cave would protect me from the rain. Unfortunately, I did not anticipate a fifteen minute walk over lava fields to get there. Once we arrived, we switched it off our shores into the rubber boots (equipped with metal studs to cling to the ice) they provide and headed into the cave. During the tour, we climbed icy slopes, slid down ice slides on our butts, repelled/slid on our sides, etc., to make our way from chamber to chamber of the cave. And we were rewarded for this hard work by amazing ice sculptures. By the time we saw one sculpture, named the Frozen Foss, I realized that there were in fact two frozen Fosses. My thin gloves were soaked from clinging to the ice and I was desperately wishing I had worn another layer. Fortunately our time in the cave was coming to an end before I lost any fingers out toes.

I took a short break after the tour to warn up (and add a layer) before heading out again to Dimmuborgir. This is another lava field, but unlike most, relatively flat fields, in this one the lava shot straight up in spots and froze. Walking through the park, it felt like the walls were really angry trolls starting down at me. Maybe they only looked angry because of the terrible weather, but it was a bit disconcerting.

My next stop was to the Myvatn Nature Baths. This is often called the Blue Lagoon of the North. In my opinion, it was a perfect way to return one frozen Foss back to a nice warm Foss after time spent in the cave and Dimmuborgir.

For dinner, I went to the Volcano Cowshed. I sat looking out the window at an actual cowshed. In fact, if you go at the right time, you can even watch them being milked and taste their fresh offerings. I did not go at the right time. But I did feel a little guilty eating a hamburger (it was quite good) while looking out at the cows. It felt a little like I was at `The Restaurant at the End of the Universe'.

In Search of Elves

After departing Seydisfjordur, I once again drove up into the snow-capped mountains, only this time I noticed all of the waterfalls that lined the route.  On the way in to the city, they were at my back and I was too mesmerized by the fjord in front of me to take notice.  However, they were staring me in the face on my way out of town.  I found a nice picnic table at the top of the mountain where I thought I could enjoy the skyr (Icelandic version of Greek yogurt) I bought for breakfast.  However, as soon as I opened the door of the car, the wind promptly blew it shut again.  I naively tried again, but quickly discovered that the wind was too strong and too cold for me to escape the warmth of my car.  

I continued driving north to another fjord town, Borgarfjordur Eystri. The town is named after the elves (aka hidden people) that have long made this part of Iceland home.  Before I embarked on my search of elves, I first drove to the harbor to see the famous puffins that have also made this area home.  The puffins are a funny-looking, oranges beaked bird that come to Iceland every April, for a unknown amount of time (both the lonely planet and the plaque at the site of the wharf only indicated the arrival time).  I gave up trying to take a photo of them flying, because, like on top of the mountain, the wind was fierce which caused the birds to flop around in the air in unexpected patterns (it is possible that this is their normal flying pattern).

Once I was too cold to watch the puffins any longer, I headed back in to town for lunch.  There are only two restaurants in town, so I stopped at the one with the most cars.  They are known for their fish stew, and although I'm not much of a fish lover, I desperately wanted something hot to warm me back up, so I went for it.  I was happy to discover that the fish flavor was hardly noticeable and it really did hit the spot.  Once I was sufficiently warm, I went back out into the cold wind, this time in search of elves.  There is a spot, not far from the restaurant, called Alfaborg, which translates to Elf Rock.  It is said that the elves don't mind people lurking around, and it is supposed to bring good luck to circle the rock.  I searched and searched, but unfortunately the elves remained hidden.  Perhaps they only come out at dark, which is unfortunate, since it will not be dark for at least a month.

I enjoyed dinner with a group of tourist that have just completed four day hike forms on Seydisfjordur to Borgarfjordur. Just as we were finishing up, a number of locals appeared.  Apparently, this weekend the town is celebrating Christmas in July and all came to the restaurant to prepare for the event by cutting designs into Icelandic bread and by making gingerbread cookies. And you can't celebrate Christmas without Christmas carols, so the music changed as well.  Maybe this is the townspeoples effort to bring the elves out during the light-filled summer months. 

Waterproof Shoes

I left the south of Iceland behind and made my way to the eastern fjords. I don't typically enjoy driving but in Iceland the views are so breathtaking that I haven't minded too much. As I headed north, along the east coast of Iceland I found myself gazing at waterfall marked cliffs on the left, snow-capped mountains in the distance and the ocean or fjords on my right. I spent most of the day driving with occasional photo stops along the way. Eventually I had to drive inland before heading back to the coast over a sore covered pass to the town of Seydisfjordur.

After an evening spent watching the Germany vs Algeria world cup match with a German couple (needless to say, they were quite happy with the result). I enjoyed a great night sleep (first one without walking up in the middle of the night confused by the bright day outside). I read about a nice day home in the Lonely Planet and decided to check it out.

First, I swung by the information center to confirm the route, then by the grocery store for a sandwich, then I was on my way. It started off easy enough, following a dirty road along a river. But soon it became a little more difficult to navigate. every so often, the path was marked with yellow posts, so whenever i was unsure i looked around for the next one.  What i didn't realize, was that these posts were leading right into the middle of a very wet and muddy marshland.  It only took one wrong step before my foot sunk into the water and first one, then both shoes. It was at this point I really regretted not buying waterproof hiking shoes.  I considered turning around at this point, but didn't think it could get worse. I continued following the marked path through more mud, crossing small streams further up the trail. 

All of this was supposed to take me to a frozen lake where I planned to sit and eat lunch.  Instead, I must have taken a wrong turn and found myself heading in the direction that I came from. After searching for another yellow post marking the trail, i gave and decided that this was fate and so I headed back to a small footbridge that crossed the river devising that this world be a good place for lunch and to attempt to dry of my socks and shoes a bit. While sitting and eating, two other hikers passed me going in a different direction altogether. I considered following them to see if they found their way to the frozen lake, but once I put my wet shoes and socks back on, I decided that this was a bad idea. My feet were frozen and the wind was picking up, so I headed back to town to dry off and clean up.

South by Southeast

Before I continue detailing my adventures in Iceland, allow me to make two small corrections to my previous post.

1. It was the sight of the snow-capped volcano Eyjafjallajokull that nearly caused me to drive if the road, not a glacier.
2. That same volcano (don't make me spell it again) erupted in 2010, not 2011.

Now that that's over, let's continue...

I was so proud of myself for quickly adapting to the time zone in Iceland. That is until I woke up this morning at 4:00 am without being able to get back to sleep. (John Green's novel, The Fault in our Stars is also partly to blame). By 8:00, I have up and backtracked a bit too Skogafoss.

I saw Skogafoss from the road the day before but was too hungry to stop. Now with more time, I climbed the stairs adjacent to the falls and then after reading the viewing platform, devices to confine ibn for a bit. Apparently there are 22 fosses along the river and the trail parallels the river the entire way. However, given that my water was in the car and I had only eaten a single banana at 6:00 am, I decided to cut the hike short and had back to town in search of coffee and food.

Coffee, I found, but the food options weren't great so I snacked on pistachios on my way to Solheimajikull for my first real glacier sighting and trek. After donning crampons, we headed up the glacier. I expected the ice to be smooth and clear. 

Instead it felt like waking on a sno-cone (not that I've ever done this, mind you, but you get the picture). The glacier was covered with black cones. These apparently wetter large masses of ice protected from melting by their coating of ash from various volcanic eruptions. From a distance, the glacier resembled marble but up close, spots look more like the dirty snow on the side of the road after the snow plow comes.

Given my early rise, I decided to take it easy the ready of the day with a nap followed by dinner.

In the morning I drove to Skaftafell national park. From there I hiked to yet another waterfall, Svartifoss and then to Sjonarsker for a 360° view of my surroundings before contributing further east.

My plan was to head, leisurely, tothe pick up spot for my 2:00 jeep tour of the Vatnajokull ice cap, but when I saw a parking sign off to the left, I stopped, thinking there might be a bathroom. After following the path for about a minute or two I found myself looking or at a lagoon filed with ice bergs.  I completely forgot my hope for a bathroom or the fact that I left my jacket in the car because I was completely entranced with beauty that floated before me. After striking for a bit, I found a comfy rock and sat and enjoyed the view for a while.

Eventually I tore myself away to meet my jeep tour only to learn, when I arrived that it wasn't going to happen. They have a two person minimum and since no one else signed up, they cancelled the trip. I wish they'd have let me know earlier so I could have spent more time at the lagoon. I considered heading back, but decided to continue on to my next destination, Hofn.

As far as I could tell, Hofn is best known for fishing and cooking langoustine (something between a small lobster and large shrimp). After walking around a bit, I decided to check out the delicacy. 

Tomorrow... East Fjords

Iceland, at last

It seems like I've been wanting to go to Iceland for years but other destinations have got in the way. But this year I really needed a vacation that didn't involve museums and ancient relics. I needed a true break where I could move at my own pace and really enjoy the breathtaking beauty that I'd only seen in photos.

I haven't seen much of Iceland yet but I can say it had not disappointed. Immediately upon picking up my rental car, I made my way to the Blue Lagoon. Guidebooks describe it as the Disneyland or Las Vegas of hot springs. While I don't have another springs to compared it to yet, I will say that if either Disneyland or Las Vegas was this spectacular I would go way more often. It is only a short drive from the airport so if you're ever find yourself on a trip to or even a layover in Reykjavik, it is a great, if pricy way, to relieve jet lag.

After dragging myself away (needing to drive while still alert), I made my way to Reykjavik.  I checked in to my hostel for the night but decided that I really needed to stay awake until at least 8:00 in order to force myself to adapt to the time zone. After finding my head bobbing while reading at the bar, I decided it was time for a walk. I spent an hour wandering around Reykjavik in search of authentic Icelandic food. However after reading several menus, I decided to start say with Nepalese food instead. I enjoyed a glass of wine with a gentleman named Jerome from Switzerland but after he insisted on smelling my hands, I decided it was time to head back to my hostel to go to bed.

In the morning, I shared a pleasant breakfast with my bunk mate (dorm room) before we parted ways. She was off to ride a bike to the West Fjords (making me feel extremely lazy) while I was driving my car to the Golden Circle. My first stop (and first foss) was Pingvellir. While this was the location of the first parliament in Iceland, the real attraction is the sheer beauty caused by separating North America and Eurasian tectonic plates. (This got me wondering if Iceland is part of North America or Europe out both. I always thought Turkey was the only county that spanned two continents). I wandered around the area for a couple hours but my growling tummy reminded me that I needed to eat and had more to see.

After a quick lunch of lamb soup (very salty and a bit gamy even for me) I headed to Geysir. I was a little disappointed on arrival to discovery that Geysir (from which all geysers got their name) has been clogged since the 1950s. Fortunately, it's neighboring geyser, Strokkur, while not as powerful, congress to erupt every few minutes. After two failed attempts to capture it on film and not really seeing it, I decided to just watch and enjoy the third eruption.

Next I headed to the third and final stop off the Golden Circle (no idea where the name came from, it more like the Golden straight line), Gullfoss. Gullfoss is said to be the most famous foss (waterfall) in Iceland, but that is just because I haven't yet made my mark. Nevertheless, it really was spectacular. After enjoying the road off the falls, I started the long drive to Vik in the south. It was during this drive that I wished I had a traveling companion so I could just sit back and enjoy the beauty. So many times I wished I could just pull over to take pictures, a few times I even did, on the drive. I almost five of the road completely when I spotted the Eyjafjallajokull ice cap (also the sight of the volcanic eruption that bright air travel in Europe to a complete standstill in 2011). A few more pictures before finally arriving at my home for the next two nights.

Dead Sea to Amman

Floating in the Dead Sea

I suspected that all the tourists that we met in Wadi Rum were doing it all wrong. Starting their trips in Amman, then heading to the Dead Sea before Petra and Wadi Rum. As a result, they did all their pampering at the start of their trip when they didn't need it. We, on the other hand, planned it perfectly. Arriving in the Dead Sea, after several days hiking in the desert and Petra, ready for a day at the spa. And what a day it was.

We started by floating in the Dead Sea before enjoying the best swimming pool ever. It had several jet options to massage everything from your toes to your back.

Salt forming on a rock at the edge of the Dead Sea

After an hour or so, relaxing in the pools, it was time for a salt scrub, mud wrap, massage, and facial. I have one word for it... ahhh. Never felt more alive than after a day of relaxation at the Dead Sea.

Temple of Zeus, Jerash

Our final day in Jordan began with driving to Jerash, north of Amman. I'm happy to say that we only got lost once on the way. We arrived just in time to see the chariot races, according to the Lonely Planet.  However, based on the look of things, the races haven't taken place in a long time. We continued to explore on our own, but before we knew what happened, we found ourselves with a guide. He showed us around the Roman city and, afterwards, only asked for about $75 in exchange for his services. We gave him a lot less and eventually he agreed without to much protest because he "likes Americans".

Oval Plaza, Jerash

Getting from Jerash to Amman proved a little more difficult. For one, Google maps seems to think you can make left turns across concrete barriers and u-turns on highways. Secondly, the grid system, while implemented in the old Roman city of Jerash, failed to be used anywhere else in Jordan. While we did eventually find our way to the citadel, we were trying to find Hashem Restaurant (supposedly the best falafel in Amman).  Rather than continuing by car, we changed strategies and tried to make our way on foot by following the walking tour in the Lonely Planet.  Unfortunately, we couldn't get past the second step and opted for a taxi instead.

Roman Theater, Amman

After finishing our falafels (for the record, not as good as the one we had in Haifa, Israel), we decided to make another attempt at the walking tour, this time in reverse.  And, much like a child's maze, it was easier starting at the end and working our way to the start. We meandered through the various souqs (markets) and paused at the, just closed, Roman Theater before arriving back to the car at the just closed Citadel. At this point, rather than using Google to find our way to the airport, we relied on old-fashioned paper maps. I'm happy to say that, not only can I still read a map, it even proved easier than Google navigation for getting around Amman.

Now as I sit at the airport, waiting for the first leg of my long journey home, I have time to ponder my next trip.

The Rose City

I really do not have words to adequately describe Petra. Every moment upon entering is truly breathtaking. An entire city carved directly from the red rocks lining the valley floor.

The Siq

You enter the city via a siq (a canyon created by tectonic forces rather than water) with 80 meter high ways of red stone on either side. This alone is worth a visit. At the end of the siq, the city opens up before you with the awe inspiring Treasury front and center. The Treasury is what must people think of as Petra.

First peek at the Treasury

The Treasury

After a brief exploration of the area surrounding the Treasury, we decided to get the climb to the monastery over with. The Monastery is the second most photographed site after the treasury but requires climbing 800 steps to reach it. My legs were not happy with the choice but all was forgotten upon reaching the top. Like the Treasury, the Monastery lives up to the hype. We finished our first day at Petra by visiting the Royal Tombs while the sun descended coloring the already red rocks into a deeper hue.

The Monastery

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

In the evening, rather than eating at one of the many overpriced options, we opted instead to learn to cook a traditional Jordanian meal at Petra Kitchen. Although every dish we made at our station (we were broken into three groups) seemed to use the same ingredients (tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers) they all turned in to uniquely dissent dishes.

For day two in Petra, we choose to make another climb. This time to the High Place of Sacrifice. And it was definitely high. Perhaps, not as many steps as to the Monastery, but definitely close.  After 45 +/- minutes we made it to the top and to one of the better vistas in Petra.  We took some time at the top to just sit and enjoy (and rest our aching muscles) before heading back down to the valley floor.  We stopped at the Petra Museum (just skip this if you ever go to Petra) before visiting another of the Royal Tombs.  After admiring the theater and the Treasury one more time, we called it a day.  Petra alone, is worth a trip to Jordan.  I definitely recommend it if you have the chance.

View from the High Place of Sacrifice

Lucinda of Arabia

We gave ourselves an hour and a half to get from our hotel, across the border and into our rental car to drive to Wadi Rum. This proved too short. First we missed the visa line at the Jordanian border and had to go to the back of the passport line again once we received it. Then we took a taxi to the Intercontinental hotel to the Avis counter only to learn that it moved to downtown. After another taxi ride to the Avis office we had to wait ten minutes for the manager to arrive. This gave us only 20 minutes to make the hour long drive to Wadi Rum. Needless to say, we were late.

Mehedi meet us in the Wadi Rum village for our 4x4 tour through the beautiful red and white rock formations, sand dunes and vistas.  It was so beautiful, I had to add a lot of pictures, below.

View from Lawrence Spring

Colleen and I on top of Lawrence Spring

Camel Tour Group taking a Rest

Khazali Canyon

Running Down the Red Sand Dunes

Resting among the Anfishieh Inscriptions 

We stopped for lunch near a large red formation and rested while Mehedi made us lunch. I'm not sure exactly what we ate. Some mixture of fresh vegetables and mysterious canned meat. This was served along with hot, and very sweet tea, flat bread and salad of tomatoes and peppers.

Lunch Stop

After lunch we continued our desert tour. First stop was to Lawrence's House or at least what remains of it. TE Lawrence is said to have camped out there. Then we stopped at the Umm Fruth Rock Bridge where I scrambled to the top, unharmed. My phone, unfortunately, was injured in the quest but will hopefully last long enough to recover the great panoramic shots of the desert.

Lawrence's House

Standing on Top of the Um Frouth Arch

Sunset in the Desert

Camp

After our day conquering the desert, we spent the night in a Bedouin camp. They prepared our meal similar to the ancient Hawaiian's, by digging a hole in the ground and filling it with charcoal before adding a large pot that held chicken on one tray and potatoes and onions on another.  So far away from any lights, the stars were amazing but the bitter cold kept me from enjoying it too long. To stay warm, I slept fully clothed with a beanie, hoodie, and down jacket on along with two heavy blankets.  In the morning, it was time to pack up and head for Petra.

Dinner