Iceland - Like a jungle drum

I was on a trip again last week. This time with one exception – no kids. It was a good opportunity for me to widen my horizon, following the Dalai Lama’s suggestion of one new place every year. This trip was going to take me to two new places!

Leaving the kids are never easy, especially when the one who will be in charge is their elderly grandmother. Even when I have prepared absolutely everything for them, bad conscience and jitters were under every step I took away from our home that morning.  I have never in my life as a mother left my kids in the hand of others for as long as I was about to then. I comforted myself with the thought that I have taught them to be independent enough, not to cause a lot of extra work for their grandmother. I told myself to ‘tawakkal’ and that they were in very good hands.

Our travel that morning began with a cab, followed by a catamaran and a domestic flight (in one of those tiny planes) before we finally were out of the country. Had it been a Malay classic, I would have had enough time to cook rice five to six times!

The two hours flight from Oslo to Keflavik was in itself a good introduction to the country. The Icelandic Tourism Board must have been allocated a good deal of funding for their work to promote Iceland. I like the concept because they promote Icelandic authenticity, not one that has been tuned to fit the popular market. In the business class, the seats were named after the Viking gods and goddesses. I guess it was limited to the business class because there were not enough gods and goddesses to cover the economy class too! However, all head rests bear Icelandic daily expressions that travellers might find useful.

Even the napkins became a topic of discussion between me and my significant other, which is rather typical us. It was quite an attractive campaign, I thought.

But the validity of the claim is highly debatable where contemporary Norwegians are concerned. Within ten minutes, we had our first coffee spill and let me tell you - it was not me!  :D

Half an hour into the flight, a stewardess walked past us and casually waved a bunch of pamphlets asking:

“Visitors to Iceland? Visitors to Iceland?”

Thinking that it was a document that I had to fill in, I asked for one. It turned out to be a small pamphlet informing me of my new Icelandic identity. I was about to go local! Let it be known that my Icelandic name is DEW. I was born in Þingvellir, loves snowmobiling and that my favourite word is bílastæðavorður(means - parking attendant!) :D

We arrived late in the afternoon and were told that it has been raining all day in Keflavik. Coming from Vestlandet, we felt immediately at home. Once out from the airport, my first impression of Keflavik was that it was like ‘padang jarak padang tekukur’ -- a much, much colder version, perhaps. The drive to Reykjavik took about thirty minutes and I was amazed to see how clean and well planned the infrastructures were in Iceland. There was nothing that could indicate that this was a land under financial crisis and one that recently experienced a natural disaster. Non-obtrusive modern buildings blend beautifully into the landscape. As we drove along, it was difficult to find a single shabby object. Iceland was, in short, very spic-and-span.

By the time we checked in, it was already time for dinner. Icelandic Air unfortunately did not offer Nasi Lemak Pak Nasir and our taste buds had somehow sought refuge in the much cherished Malay corner that day. But then again, why travel to a foreign land and limit your taste buds to the usual. It is all a part of the experience, we thought. So without further ado, we went and had a meal consisting of a minke whale!

Seeing that the night was still young, we decided to head for World Class, a gym and a spa reputed to be in a class by itself. Again, looks can be deceiving. The non-obtrusive facade hid an ultra modern interior, filled with fit and hip-looking adults: both the young-s and the not so young-s.

Entrance was made possible only via the obligatory retinal scan. It was all very Jason Bourne, really. Once done, we basically have access to a lot of different facilities.  It is not often that I get flabbergasted upon entering a spa but the Laugar Spa truly took the cake. With seven different saunas, types of showers hot and cold, hot tubs, foot tubs, and God knows what more, I went instantaneously quiet and totally ‘deep’. For once, I thought the no-children policy of the spa was definitely a good idea!

Iceland has many outlets like this. The dark winter days are not seen as a problem by Icelanders but just another great opportunity to use all the natural and man-made facilities around them. They gave me the impression of being a very health-conscious nation. Icelanders are indeed well taken care of, both by nature and by the power that be.

After two hours of roasting, soaking, toasting, steaming, inhaling lemon, eucalyptus and exposing ourselves alternately to cold and hot shower, it was time to unwind. It has been a tough day, after all. In the final room, there were scores of leather recliners arranged around a fireplace. Only the crackling of fire was heard in there as no talking is allowed. I closed my eyes and my thoughts wondered to my kids at home and eventually to my parents who I doubt had ever dreamt about coming to Iceland! I could imagine what each of them would have said had they had the chance to experience what I was experiencing. I always tend to have this sense of sweet sorrow when I think of my parents and the crackling from the fireplace somehow enhanced the thoughts I had in my mind and the feelings that I had in my heart.

Melancholy aside … When I suddenly found myself on top of a tree, though, I knew it was time to climb down before I start sawing the branches!

 

The next morning turned out to be just as gloomy but I was fixed on the idea that I should cover the Golden Triangle before I hop on the plane for my next destination.  The mild temperature was accompanied by dark, threatening clouds that were perhaps telling us that whatever we decide to do, we ought to hurry up!

A calculation was made and with the aid of Lady GPS, we set out towards inland. Lady GPS must have spent too long in the sauna last night that she kept telling us to:

‘after 1.3km, take the third exit … turn right, then turn right … turn right, then turn right … turn right, then turn right!’

…time and time again. Had we followed her, we would have ended up in various ditches or in the least, driving in circles!

With a population of about 350000 and the great majority concentrated in the Reykjavik area, we found ourselves driving for miles and miles and miles without meeting a single soul.

The sun peeped through on and off, waking us up to the possibility of taking some very good pictures. With time constraints, though, there was little to do but to just continue stepping on the gas. We drove pass Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural and geological importance. It is one of those places that make you forget the fact that you are still on earth!

I was so excited when we finally arrived at the Geysir. Already from the parking area, I could see steam gushing out from the soil at various spots. Finally, what was once just something I learnt in geography lessons at school was now in front of me!

It was fascinating to see them and I automatically thought of the kids. DH had the same thoughts and we told ourselves that we will have to return to Iceland with the kids soon.

We joined the increasing number of people who were gathering around a bigger pool. Within a couple of minutes, there was a huge spray of water from the geysir. It was simply amazing to see the progression from the time it starts to bubble, explode and then got sucked in all over again. Because the waiting time was very short, we stayed on and saw 4 more ‘explosions’.

By the end of it I was as giddy as a schoolgirl!

Our next destination was Gulfoss (Golden Waterfall), where the river Hvitá ends in two 32 m cascades. It was beginning to rain and the extremely cold wind was not conducive for outdoor escapades that last longer than fifteen minutes. A bunch of Chinese elderly tourists took turn to pose in front of the waterfall, grinning from ear to ear while making the ‘V’ sign :)

Considering the extra hours we had, we took the chance to drive down to the Blue Lagoon. By this time, Lady GPS had been snoring for a couple of hours. We thought the nap would help but she was recalculating distance and routes all the time, while sending us into various one way roads with oncoming traffic!

Iceland is truly a heaven for anybody interested in geology. Volcanic activities have caused strange rock formations to dominate the landscape. To me, it seemed rather unreal.

Our eyes were attracted to the blue-ness of the river flowing next to the main road. The mind is programmed to associate blue water with tropical (or sub-tropical) climate.

We tested the water and it was icy cold! But what a sight it was …

The rather industrial looking building half-sunk into the landscape look threateningly warm and I was told that that was the famous Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon spa is a place where guests could bathe in 5000 m² geo-thermal sea water (37-39°C). With different areas for treatment and leisure, it offers buckets of silica mud (free of charge next to the pool but at a high price in the spa’s own souvenir shop) with which guests could cover their body with and resurfaced later with absolutely soft and healthy looking skin. It was easy to forget the stress from everyday life there :)

After the trip to the Blue Lagoon, we sacked Lady GPS on the way to the airport. For good!

I love the vast, open space in Iceland and I also find the self-contained and self-sufficient Reykjavik very attractive. There were light-hearted talk on the way to the airport between DH and I, playing with the thought of relocating to Reykjavik. I almost convinced myself that that was what I wanted :D

Checking in at Keflavik Airport was very quick as like many other things in Iceland, things do function and they do so smoothly. We called the kids to say good night, reminded them of what was expected from them while we were away and as usual ended it with a mutual ‘mwah! mwah!I love you!’. Little Missy insisted that she now speaks French too. Indeed a lot of things had taken place in the course of the 36 hours we were away!

On the plane, I was convinced that Iceland is a place that will play its jungle drums to tantalize me for a return trip. Next time it will be longer and it will be with the kids on tow. Despite being tired, I was not able to sleep. My thoughts hopped from one thing to another and when I looked out the window, I saw beautiful Greenland.

Tiny lights flickering down below signalling ‘life’. It was humbling to realise that human beings have been trying to make a living in the most remote of places on this earth and quite amazing too to think that at that very moment I was flying above their heads, a small family of five could have been sitting around the table having their supper, exchanging news of what they have been doing that day … just like what we normally do at home, with our kids.

With that, I hugged my pillow and closed my eyes. I had five hours to go still before the plane landed at my next destination …