I was discussing this dream to a friend who went to Iceland last summer of 2014 and until now she can’t help herself from talking about Iceland whenever the topic of EPIC TRAVEL comes. (she lives and breathe Iceland since then)
Check out my previous blog post: Walk The Earth Iceland
Dreams do come true! I am seating here in the lounge of my hostel (Bus Hostel) remembering our recently concluded road trip around Iceland’s Ring Road which consistently put a big smile (sometimes with a little boastful smirk) on my face. I am definitely going to do a detailed blog about our big road trip but right now I just feel overwhelmed and scared that I will forget this feeling so I thought of immediately writing and sharing this special moment with you guys. Basically I am writing based on emotions right now. hahaha
I arrived in Iceland with the hopes of seeing all those epic photos that I’ve been seeing in the net (Matador Network, Buzzfeed) but unfortunately I was restricted by my ability or inability to drive. You see, you’ll get the best of Iceland when you rent a car and drive around the ‘Ring Road’ (which is literally circling around the whole island. I do have some tailored trip planned for me in partnership with Guide To Iceland via www.NiceTravels.is and booked a tour with www.sternatravel.com, but nothing really compares to driving at your own pace and go wherever you want to go.
I was a bit on a verge of frustration when a sudden turn of events happened. I was forced to move to a hostel and it opened doors of opportunities for me to finally see the best of ICELAND. The slogan of Bus Hostel in Reykjavik is true indeed: "Might be the beginning of a beautiful journey"
On a gloomy evening, while I was eating my supermarket loot for the night, I met this guy (and now my good friend), Maks, who was planning to do a road trip by himself. We were discussing this trip and realized that our schedules fit perfectly and he was happy to tag me along (yes, no one wants to do a road trip of a lifetime alone right?). From that moment on, we became road trip buddies. Again, I will tell the whole story in another blog, for the mean time I will share some snippets/ snapshots of our epic road trip.
Iceland is truly breathtaking. All you can hear inside (and outside) our car was WOW, WOW, WOW and WOW!!! Compared to other countries, Iceland is relatively a small country yet its landscape will make you feel just a little spec in this world (a tiny tiny little creature). The land is so vast and almost remote that you feel transported to a place out of this world. Often times you will find yourself driving alone in the middle of the main road heading towards a massive glacier mountain (such an overwhelming feeling).
Check out these shots I took that will validate what I am blabbing about here.
FINDING YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD (THINKING WHAAAAT?!)
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REALIZING WHY IT IS CALLED ICE-LAND
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...even with melted and floating Ice at Jokulsarson
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THINKING THAT YOU ARE IN ALASKA
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STANDING ON THE EDGE OF THE ISLAND
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....or hanging?
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CHILLING WITH THE ANIMALS ( LITERALLY CHILLING)
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THINKING TO STOP CHASING WATERFALLS (BECAUSE THEY ARE PRACTICALLY EVERYWHERE)
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VISITING THE HARPA
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GETTING CONFUSED WHETHER YOU ARE SEEING CLOUDS OR LAND FROM THE PLANE WINDOW
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I can't stress how beautiful this place is. Truly even photographs cannot do justice to it. So I challenge you to start planning your trip up north and experience these moments by yourself.
Watch out for more Iceland blogs coming very very soon!