Oh, Iceland...
Iceland started off as an idea in late 2014 while I was working in Singapore. It was supposed to be the ultimate girls trip. I had a lot of experience in short 3-4 day trips around South East Asia but didn't truly considered myself a backpacker. One of my good friends there, Sok, was an infamous backpacker... like go solo 2-3 weeks, stay in a hostel, cook her own food, make a hundred new friends, and only pack two outfits kind of backpacker. She's hardcore, and I wanted to be like her! So when she invited me on a road trip around Iceland in March 2015, of course I said YES! ***Keep in mind that this is insane since Iceland is only a 3-4 hour flight from the USA, yet it was a solid 20+ flight from Singapore. Not the most practical trip for me, yet so worth it!
Fast forward a few weeks before the trip, and one of the 3 other girls found out she was pregnant and couldn't travel. We were all very bummed, but I'm so grateful it happened (I'm not a jerk, keep reading....). We needed a 4th person to come last minute, and Jon (my now-husband; boyfriend at the time) was available to the take her place!!! It made it easier to split costs 4 ways, we felt safer having a male travel with us, and it was good having someone who could drive in the snow (none of us ever had before). Side note: Jon and I were at a low point in our relationship. He was about to be transferred back to the US from Singapore, and we had to decide if we should continue dating or go our separate ways. What better way to decide than to go on a 9 day road trip where you're together 24/7.😑
As a reference point for the rest of the story, here's a map of Iceland and our route:
As a reference point for the rest of the story, here's a map of Iceland and our route:
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| We did red, blue, pink, yellow. |
So, the trip... We took Finn Air to Helsinki and connected on to Reykjavik (the capital), Iceland. We met my two friends and went straight to pick up our rental car... a super cool Ford hatchback (sarcasm). 🚙 We had virtually no plans set, nothing reserved, and started heading east on the southern coast. We stopped to get groceries for the week and made it to the first landmark: Skogafoss, a gorgeous waterfall (link here). There was also a very nice hostel nearby that I cant remember the name of. This was a great stop that allowed us to rest in a nice place, do some hiking, and eat at a good local restaurant. (Note: Iceland uses Euros and restaurants are kind of expensive). In Iceland, it gets dark early so we had a really fun routine of finding something active to do or see during the day, and then go back to our cabin/hostel to cook dinner, visit, and play Big 2 (amazing Chinese card game). Learn how to play it here (link), and come play with me and Jon some time!
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| In front of Skogafoss |
After this, we kept going east and made a stop at Vik, the famous black beach. Our goal was to go to Jokulsarlon (also known as Glacier Lagoon), go on a glacier hike, and see the northern lights (as if you can plan that). In the middle of our drive, a snow storm came and it was getting dark, so we started looking for hostels. We drove a bit further and finally found a hostel but it was closed. Okay cool...So we drove a couple more hours with everything else sold out or booked. While we all acted calm, panic set in as we started considering the possibility of sleeping in our car. Later, we passed a few matching cabins. We thought maybe they could be for rent, but we were so discouraged we were going to pass it. Then my very smart, wonderful, loving now-husband insisted that we stop and ask. A local Icelandic man answered the door and spoke no English. With mostly hand motions, sign language, and a lot of confusion, Jon managed to walk away holding a key to one of the cabins. MY HERO! 🤴 I was BAFFLED, asking, "Well, who is he? How much are we paying? When do we have to check out?". Jon had no idea. We laughed hysterically and got settled into our tiny cabin. **I later googled the address of the cabin and found the email of the man's son, who rented out the cabins and spoke some English. He said we could stay as long as we want and it was 99 Euros a night!!! Unbelievable! We loved our little temporary home and decided to stay for a few nights. 🏠 It was the perfect base camp, close enough to all the attractions we wanted to do on the east side.
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| Our home (on the right) and car! |
The next day, we went glacier hiking (info here). The staff was great, we hiked for several hours, and the experience was unforgettable. We also saw the northern lights for the first time. Sok was incredible at using apps to track the northern lights, and we ended up seeing them at the amazing Glacier Lagoon. Seeing the aurora borealis is a high bucket list item for every one, and for good cause. They are a beautiful work of God and worth the chase! *Note: If you want to capture the northern lights on camera, you generally can't use your cell phone. You need a long exposure on a GoPro. It worked like a charm! Some hotels offer excursions or offer to wake you up in the middle of the night to see the lights when its possible, but it's more rewarding when you track them and find them yourself!
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| Glacier hiking! Also the background of my hubby's phone 😍 |
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| Glacier Lagoon during the day vs at night (with northern lights) |
From there, we headed back west to conquer the popular Golden Triangle. The most memorable stops here were, of course, Gulfoss waterfall (pictures do not do it justice), Strokkur (a geyser that erupts every 5-10 minutes), and the Kerio volcanic crater. Also during this stay, Jon (not pointing fingers or anything 👈) backed our car into a snow wall and got our little-bitty hatchback stuck. We had to walk to a house nearby and ask for help to get unstuck. It was hilarious. 😁 *We also had a snowball fight in the crater and Jon stepped through the ice and almost got frost bite. Be careful people!
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| Gulfoss--- better in person! |
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| Pushing the car. I'm sure me and my mouse hat were very helpful😆 |
At this point, we were way ahead of schedule and snuck in an extra trip around the peninsula of Snaefellsjokull, northwest of the capital. It was a lovely drive where we saw some local communities and beautiful cliff views, but the highlights of this route were definitely eating the local delicacy (deep fried hot dog with crushed Doritos on top), petting the hairy local horses, and seeing the black church of Budir. The stark contrast of the black church and the white snow are stunning and made the whole route worth it!
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| Budir |
The last leg of our trip was what you all were waiting for: the Blue Lagoon. People complain that its too touristy (and it is), but you don't want to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. To get in the hot springs in the middle of winter, with a glass of champagne, reaching to the bottom to get mud for your face... Just unbelievable.
Ignore the haters..... DO IT!!!!!!!
For our last night, I booked a home-stay on some generic website (booking.com or something). I got a confirmation, so we went to the house. Another renter was there but said he has no idea we were coming. I used his phone to call the owner, who also had no idea we were coming because she only checks the website every few days (people are so care-free here!). Nevertheless, Icelanders and their amazing hospitality never failed us; she told us we can use the top floor of her house and just to leave cash on the table when we leave.💸 *There are so many horrible things happening all over the world, but we were met with such kindness, trust, and grace here. We didn't feel in danger even once. Also check out this amazing view....
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| Could be in a magazine |
The next day we hung out in the capitol of Reykjavik before catching our flight home. We had amazing beer and food, walked around the extremely cool and laid-back town, and saw the beautiful famous church (the largest one in Iceland). I wish we could've stayed here longer!
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| Hallgrímskirkja church and my warm hat |
Iceland: a trip that I will always look back on and smile, knowing it helped help me fall in love with traveling.
**Disclaimer: This post isn't as helpful for specific recommendations for accommodation and food because we have practically no paper trails of this trip. Icelandic people are so trusting and accommodating that we didn't have to email or reserve ahead of time most of the time. Or maybe we just got extremely lucky. The food and scenery are great and truthfully you can find a lot to explore and do for free. Just go, make your own path, and make some new friends along the way!
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| Iceland Family Pic 😁 |
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