Author: Wandering Amerrickans

I Know What A Left Means Now

When trying to decide which of the fifty or so camps to stay at in Wahiba Sands, I gave lots of thought to the experience I hoped we would have. There were “luxury” camps with permanent structures, a pool, table side service, etc and there were camps that are set up on a more temporary basis run by people who live in the nearby village. I quickly ruled out the big camps but there was some concern on both Jenny’s and my part that she and I would end up in a very small camp being the only guests and as two females alone in a camp in a place with no familiarity, we had legitimate reasons for worry. But I did the research and in the end Jenny trusted my judgment with the caveat that we could always just leave early if we got that feeling.

We started our morning with another hearty meal before awaiting the arrival of our guide for the day. We planned on a trip deeper into the desert with a stop at a traditional Bedouin home. Our guide, Faiz, came ripping into camp like a bay out of hell, pulled up alongside our tent, jumped out of the car and immediately began to apologize for being late. “No worries,” we insisted. We hadn’t even known he had been late and even if we had, we were enjoying the cool morning just looking at the scenery.

We jumped in Faiz’s car and off we went. Faiz is a fireman and works a two week on/ one week off shift. His week-off shift he helps out at some of the local camps, including Rashid’s. He trained in Qatar in a facility that also housed RAF and US military so his English is very good, which was quite helpful. He had been born in Muscat but moved to this area many years ago and clearly knows what he is doing in these dunes; he also drives like the wind. Five minutes into the ride he crests this dune and goes flying down the other side, “We go like we are in Dakar Rally,” laughing aloud.

We pulled up to a house, that was unlike most of the other camps we had seen as this one was made with small logs. When we left the camp around 10:00, our tent had already heated up to an almost unbearable temperature and we were pleasantly surprised that when we entered this house, it was was cool as the desert night. The home was occupied by three generations of Bedouin women. The young girls met us with traditional dress on, henna on their forearms and hands and a yellow paste on their face.

Faiz was happy to show us the decorations and photos that adorned the walls and Jenny was very sweet obliging the young girl, allowing her to dress her in a traditional head covering and face mask. Afterwards, she asked one of the women, who was also dressed in her traditional clothes, with all but her eyes covered, if she would henna her arm in a similar fashion as the young girl’s.

From here we continued on deeper into Wahiba Sands along what is known as the desert highway – a very hard pack “road” that is traveled at an astonishing rate of speed for people making their way through the desert (We were passed by a small pickup truck with a camel laying down in the bed). We eventually exited the “highway” up, and I mean up, a very large dune where we crested out on what felt like a sand dune plateau.

As we continued along, Jenny pointed off to the left to a very steep dune where there were tire tracks and stating that it was unreal cars can maneuver it. Faiz turned around and said, “It is no problem, I will show you.”

“Ummm..excuse me, what? We are not going up that are we?” I asked in disbelief.

Faiz quickly tried to alleviate any concerns I had, “Going up? No, We are not going up that. We are going down that!” And with that he took a sharp left turn. Once at the bottom he pointed out, “See, no problem.” And off we continued.

We came upon one of the luxury resorts and all I could do was be thankful that we had no chosen to stay there. There was nothing about the place that appealed at all – nothing – except for the group of camels that were hanging around outside their walls. Faiz drove right up to them and stopped. He grabbed a plastic bag and pulled out some pieces of bread (sort of a thin looking pita) and handed it to Jenny. The camels came right over and took the piece of bread right out of her hand.

Before we knew it, there were three camel heads in the car, two up front and one in the back. I was cracking up as their huge lips were smacking together trying to grab ahold of the bread. When the bread was gone and one of the camels gave a quick snort, we took off laughing.

A short bit down the road, Faiz stopped the car and told me to hop out, I was now driving. OK, I thought, no problem. He guided me along telling me to turn right or left, and all was going well (of course he had to remind me to slow down a few times) until he told me to shift the 4-wheel drive and take a right up the hill. We had been at this long enough that I realized that the uphill only meant one thing, there was a downhill somewhere but a quick scan of the dune from below showed no signs whatsoever of any tire tracks coming back down, but up I went. At the top he told me to go left but left was the direction I had scanned and I knew there was no outlet – at least there was no outlet…yet. And so it happened:

“Go left.”

“Left?” (Knowing full well where that would lead us).

“Yes.”

And before I knew it I was sitting with the car on the edge of the dune and could not see any land in front of me.

“Go slow.”

Me looking out my side window, then out the windshield, then out towards the passenger window scanning for any sign of a possible exit, stating in total disbelief, “But, but, but there’s no, there’s no…”

“Yes. Go.” Faiz waved me forward.

Again, stammering my words “But, but, but there’s no road.”

“They are. Just drive slowly slowly”

And so over we went…

“Now you see the way,” Faiz stated, almost prophetically, as he waved his hand out towards the incline we were now staring down.

“Oh sh!t, oh sh!t, oh sh!t,” I say

“Mom,” Jenny whispered, “You can’t swear.”

Me, now barreling down the dune, took one hand off the steering wheel to cover my mouth and apologize profusely. Faiz telling me to break, me following orders, but before you know it the back end starts making a run at trying to beat the front end to the bottom first. All the while, ever-so-calm and positive Faiz is saying, “Don’t worry. Don’t worry” as we end up completely sideways teetering at a pretty good angle. Faiz calmly tells me to turn left and go (isn’t that what got us into this mess in the first place?) and just like that we come out of the dune and are back on what was certainly more solid ground.

Enjoy the videos…sorry i couldn’t beep out the expletives.

Following our harrowing stunt, we made a quick rest stop amongst a grove of shady trees where Faiz laid a small rug and offered us some fruit. We laughed about my turn at the wheel and chatted about various things but mostly Faiz insisted we need to backtrack to one of the wadis we had skipped as we would not have another opportunity on this trip to see one, and he insisted it is a must!

Back on the road again, the clock having gotten away from us, Faiz searched for a shortcut through the dunes, but every turn ended up placing us in a precarious situation. “You are like an explorer,” I told him, “searching for a new route back to Rashid’s.” He decided not too risk it, especially since we were only one car, as getting stuck without help would obviously not be a good thing. If we had been two cars, he would have done it. So instead, we did a little dune bashing, a term they use here for basically driving up, across, and down the dunes spinning out and fishtailing. At one point we hit a big dune, slid sideways and the spray of sand came over the hood from left to right and blew in through the open windows, kind of like hitting a wake with the boat and the water spray coming back on you.

When we finally made it back to camp, we thanked Faiz for a wonderful time. He turned and said, “You are most welcome. You guys are funny.” It was a great compliment to us and it was only later when he returned that I told him so and he clarified what he meant in that Jenny and I are funny together. We are not like a mother/daughter that argue and disagree. He said we are like best friends and our banter back and forth is funny.

Down in the food tent, Rashid had had his right-hand man Jaffer, make us some lunch. We were quite hungry and like everything we had been served, the meal was delicious. Jaffer is a friendly guy who clearly is a hard worker but only speaks very little English however, he was determined to try and have a conversation with us. Like everyone here, he wanted to know where we were from and how many years we were. He then proudly told us, “I am Bangladesh.” And then pointing to the skin on his arm, “I am black. My sister not.” He then turned his attention to Jenny and pointed to the skin on her arm and asked, “You have a problem? Your skin. It has a problem? Jenny and I both broke out in an uproar. Jenny tried to tell him she had no problem (though I could beg to differ :)) and that her arms were covered in freckles from the sun. He clearly didn’t understand until she said she was OK but he made it clear he had never seen such a thing before — “I don’t know it.” A redhead was obviously a new creature for him, and Jenny and I are still laughing about it.

Jenny and I took another stroll up the dunes to watch the sunset. We were sitting in silence enjoying the solitude when she jumps up to watch as a big beatle was making his way towards her. We marveled at just how far this guy had crawled, leaving a striking trail behind as he went along.

At dinner, the new guest were telling the story of how they too had missed the meeting point and that Rashid had come after them when he saw them pass. He said he had tried to wave them down, just like he had when he saw us pass. “But, like you, they did not see me wave.”

“Oh, no. I actually saw you waving.” I responded.

“You did? Why then you did not stop.”

“Because,” I responded “You were there in front of the tent with the colorful furniture and I thought you were just trying to sell me a rug.”

Rashid threw his head back in laughter and let me know just how funny he thought that was.

Our evening ended with Jenny and Rashid discussing all the nuances of Arabic, her best approach at learning it and him expressing his surprise that Jenny was planning her masters program in Islam and the Middle East, He was genuinely curious at her choice and questioned whether she would ever find a job with that degree. Without going into much detail, Jenny eloquently assured him it would not be a problem…

When I started planning our trip, the only real request Jenny had was two nights in the desert. She didn’t care if there were activities; she just wanted to “vibe” in the desert and drink some tea, which we have done by the cups full. The tea here is an Omani black tea, steeped with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and cinnamon leaf mixed with a decent helping of sugar – just delicious! I know her desires were met, but I also know we both had unspoken desires met.

The nervousness we felt seems like a long forgotten feeling having been easily replaced with deep contentment through the warm welcome extended by Rashid and Jaffar; the sincerity of the affable Faiz; the soft giggles coming from under the veiled-face of the Bedouin woman in response to my telling Faiz about Jenny’s tattoo. Neither of us would have changed a thing, except to maybe spend a day or two more with these truly wonderful people in this remarkable location.

Rashid Doesn’t Know Me!

Jenny and I both died yesterday, actually Jenny before me. After checking in, we never left our room. It helped that we got upgraded to a killer suite with a lot of room and an awesome view and that the bed was super comfortable.

Of course, just as I was getting ready to pass out and in true Dom fashion, I noticed I screwed up the reservation for the pick up date for our rental car BUT thank goodness I noticed it. Unfortunately, it was after the shop had closed, HOWEVER, the owner was awesome and after a few texts back and forth, and the offer of a small penalty fee on my part, we were back on schedule and he agreed to deliver it to me at the hotel at 8:00 AM.

I woke at 7:00 to make sure I was up in case he came early since I was so appreciative of him accommodating my screw up. At 7:50 our car showed up and I was pleasantly surprised at not only the condition of the vehicle, but the fact he had upgraded me for free when he learned I was planning on driving into the desert to stay in a Bedouin camp. He told me I would need something with more power than the car I had reserved. Again, kindness and consideration beyond what was necessary. When I asked him if there was anything I need to look out for while driving in Oman, he said, “speed cameras.” Oh boy…one of my downfalls, I drive with a lead foot so this was going to be a serious lesson in self-control, something Nasser was saying is one of the key components of fasting for Ramadan, so I guess when in Rome…

By the time Jenny and I got it together, stopped at the ATM for needed cash, the fuel station to tank up the car and tank up our snack stash, we were on the road 2 1/2 hours after my intended departure time – that meant we were cutting quite a few planned stops as we had to be at our destination at 3:00. And of course, five minutes into the drive, we took the wrong exit as Jenny tried to get used to the navigation system. The good news is it was not too much of a detour and we were quickly back on the expressway making our way south.

It wasn’t even 20 minutes later we started into mountainous terrain. The mountains were like waves in a rough sea with craggy tops successively getting higher in between dropping into the troughs of the sands. It must have taken forever to move a short distance as one climbed to the top, only to drop back down, before having to climb to an even higher top before continuing the process all over again.

The expressway was excellent and every few miles or so were the speed cameras I was warned about. We bopped along, listening to Jenny’s country music playlist, remarking on the incredible scenery. About an hour or so later we dropped down onto the coastline and enjoyed the varying shades of blue, the sea here offered.

I decided that we would cut all of the drives back into the wadis as these were going to be the most time consuming. I opted for a short stop at Bimmah Sinkhole, a natural limestone cavern that fell in and left a large hole in the ground with a natural pool. It is a popular swimming spot and on this day in the mid-80s, there were plenty of people enjoying the waters.

The second stop I opted for was to take a drive through the coastal town of Sur and see the dhow boat factory. The GPS took us off the highway sooner then need be, but Jenny said she was actually happier with this side trip over seeing any of the wadis as we were driving through areas that showed a real town. The funny thing was we were gobsmacked at the houses being built – opulent (and I mean in an over-the-top, borderline gaudy sort of way) McMansions crammed in one after another with flashy gates and added facade decorations. It was so interesting because most of what we had seen in Oman really had a sense of understated elegance to it.

The dhow factory was a quick stop in just seeing the carcasses of fading ships and a few that were still floating. At one point I wanted to take another look so I decided to take the roundabout back around and when I pulled over and waved the other cars by, the first car in line quickly pulled over and was getting ready to exit his car when I continued on. Jenny told me I needed to stop waving at people as a way of saying sorry as they think I am in need of help. Lesson two in self-control – stop being an apologetic driver.

Back on the expressway, we came across our first, “what the heck” moment when we came past a group of camels. Of course that required a stop to the side of the road, and unlock Iceland where there is not even four inches to pull over, Oman’s highways have huge breakdown lanes. We had a great laugh as Jenny tried her hand at camel talk and actually got them to swing around and giver her their full attention.

As we got closer to where we were supposed to meet our camp hosts, we had a small glitch in communications as well as exact pin drops on our map, causing us to pass the meeting spot. As I was turning around to head back, a car pulled in right behind me almost blocking me from moving. A man rolled his window down, welcomed us to Oman and asked if we were OK. I guardedly told him we were fine. He exited his car and walk towards us, asking me where I was from and where I was going. I told him we were from the US but even more guardedly was elusive as to where we were going and that I had just missed a turn. I think he sensed my bit of uneasiness, though I was trying hard to hear the words of Nasser, he held his hand to his heart, welcomed us again to his country, bowed his head, backed up, turned around and left. This was exactly the kindness in offers to help that Nasser had told us about.

A moment up the road, another car heading towards us flashed their lights, slowed down and rolled their window down; it was our camp host Rashid. He had seen us pass by and waved at us but we failed to stop and so he was coming after us – too funny. We pulled into the drive, next to a larger SUV with an older fair-skinned gentleman who was attaching a GoPro to the outside of his windshield. I checked with him as to what camp he was going to and when he named our planned camp, Jenny and I both let out an audible sigh of relief that we indeed were in the right place.

Rashid pulled in behind us, got out of his car and to our total astonishment grabbed my hand and shook it (shaking hands with the opposite sex is not done in the Muslim world). When I told him my name and that I had been the one texting him like mad and then apologized for being a “crazy American,” he astonished us even more with his complete and utter delight that we were Americans. He emphatically and excitedly proclaimed, ”I have only had four of your kind stay with me before. You make the five.”( I had to think about that one for a second…).

When he assumed that we would be leaving our car and riding in with him, I surprised him by telling him that I was actually planning on driving in. He first questioned the car but I assured him the rental agency had given me this car with the belief that it would be fine for the desert trek. He then questioned my ability to handle the conditions when I told him I was confident I could handle it he told me that the guide would stop and switch cars with me (he was driving a Jeep Wrangler) when the hard part came. We both chuckled, me at him for his lack of confidence and him at me for basically calling out that lack of confidence.

Tires deflated to the proper PSI, and off we went in a three car caravan with the seemingly austere GoPro-toting Austrian (who had driven in the deserts of Namibia before) opting to take the rear. A few miles in, the hard-pack flats started to give rise to softer hills and Jenny started to feel queazy as the car slip-slided though the sands. Nothing could be done at this point so she had no choice but to grin and bear it.

A few more miles and the sand got looser and deeper and the dunes got bigger. We bottomed out a few times but we kept on moving until we got to the final climb when we both said, “Oh boy,” Jenny leaning in towards the gear shift to avoid the rather large drop off on her side when midway up, we came to a dead stop, like we had hit a wall. Luckily Mr. Austria maneuvered around me as I quickly threw the car in reverse, got to some flatter land and took aim at the hill again following a different track. We crested the hill, blew past Mr. Austria (who had actually stopped and gotten out his truck thinking he was going to have to come and help me), and pulled in to the camp where I gave the guide two big thumbs up, receiving them in return along with a big smile. Getting out of the car I cajoled him in a half-joking but matter of fact way by asking, “I did well?” “Sorry. No English.” Jenny, who had already perched herself on the stable ground of the tent’s deck, hollered over in Arabic, “Jamil.” He turned, smiled and said, “Ah Jamil, Yes you very well.” Jenny and I figured the guide must have been confident in my driving and did not feel the need to switch as Rashid had suggested he would. Ahhh….Sweet Redemption…

The sun was getting low in the sky and the others (there were now 6 more) decided to go dune bashing to watch the sunset. After our ride in, Jenny decided staying with two feet on the ground was how we would watch it so we climb up the largest dune we could see. The view was beautiful but there was a larger dune, a few dunes over that blocked the horizon so Jenny saiid we needed to climb that one too. The view from there was breathtaking so we plopped ourselves down and just took it all in; that is until the inner child in Jenny came out and she proceeded to slide down the dune – feet first then backwards and then she rolled down the dune log-style, delighting in its softness and beauty.

And just as the sun was setting in the west, the moon was rising in the east – truly spectacular.

We sat around the fire for a bit waiting for the rest of the guests to return, and I had a hardy laugh when I learned the Jeep driver got stuck and had to abandon his vehicle; maybe Rashid should have had me driven!

Feb 3-4, 2023

Kindness Abounds

Our decision to travel to Oman, was met with not only questions of safety but with questions on my sanity. There were the obvious concerns of travel to the Middle East as an American, but when friends and family found out it would be just Jenny and me traveling, they were more stunned. When they found out we were renting a car and driving around a good swath of the country, they called in my sanity. When I tried to alleviate their fears, they were quick to insist that women alone in the Middle East was a recipe for trouble. 

The thing is, I am meticulous about making sure we are as safe as possible wherever we travel to. I research everything about our destinations ahead of time, but most importantly I don’t fool around when it comes to our safety, especially when Jenny is along. I learn all the scams to watch out for – in Paris it is the gold ring scam; in Barcelona it is signing a petition scam; in Lisbon it is the taxi fare scam; and in Buenos Aires it is the bird poop scam – funny thing is I could find nothing for Oman. I read blogs, forums, and State Department alerts from the US, UK and Australia, yet still I couldn’t find anything we needed to be on alert for, except for crazy drivers and flash floods – both familiar and manageable (and some might even say I fall into the former category).

The narrative surrounding the Middle East has been deeply perpetuated for us as Americans, and while I fully understand there is truth to it, I have NO choice except to find an alternate opinion. Jenny is planning on getting her master’s in Islam and the Middle East. She wants to work for the government or an NGO or whoever it ends up being, she is going to focus on the Middle East; I have no choice but to come to understand it and get to know it, so that I can have some semblance of peace when she begins her career. Does it scare me? Yes. But not like it did… Did our trip to Jordan open my eyes, my heart and my mind? For sure! Do I hope delving deeper into the Middle East begins to assuage my nausea-inducing concern? Most definitely, and I am ever so slowly getting there. So I am hoping our Oman trip unlocks another misconception, disproves another falsehood and brings me to another level of comfort. As they say in Arabic… “inshallah”

In as much fun as Jenny and I have traveling together, there is always a sadness when we travel without Billy. The three of us have always been, dare I say, a perfect pack. This trip falls during Jenny’s school break and had no wiggle room for dates, thus with obligatory meetings along with other planned get always, Billy could not join us. But we love and appreciate his encouragement and enthusiasm for us to have this opportunity, and if he was at all nervous he kept that to himself! 

This trip was not a guarantee until the day before I left. I have been having some issues with my ears and wasn’t sure I was going to be able to fly, let alone handle all the travel this trip entails. T -24 I made the decision we were going. I finished booking hotels, confirmed with guides and gave Jenny the word. My trip began Feb 1, driving to New York where I boarded my flight for Frankfurt then connected to Belgium, arriving Feb 2. I had one entire day solo in Brussels before meeting Jenny at the airport Feb 3 for us to fly onto Doha, Qatar where we would layover for two hours in the middle of the night and then continue on to Muscat, Oman arriving bright and early at 4:30 AM. I had a guide picking us up, dropping us at the Sheraton so we could shower, cat nap, and grab breakfast before he picks us back up a few hours later at 9:45 to start our 1/2 day tour of Muscat and then he will deposit us at the W where I imagine we, me especially, will feel half dead! From the time I will have left home to the time I step foot in Oman, It will have been 57 hours… Yowzer! 

I met Jenny at the airport this morning and after big hugs and my utter shock that everything she needed for the trip was packed in her school backpack, we giggled about how strange it was for us to meeting in Europe to begin a trip elsewhere.

Back in November, I was able to score us some great mile redemptions to fly Qatar Airways business class. Qatar is consistently rated one of the best airlines and our flight demonstrated exactly why – it was a real treat indeed. Unfortunately our flight was pretty rough, at one point I had my hands covering my drinks just hoping the plate of food they had just deposited minutes earlier was not going to end up in my lap. Jenny likened it to being in a bowl of Jell-O; neither of us too happy about it.

Beginning our descent into Qatar, we flew over Saudi Arabia and the tiny island country of Bahrain. Jenny was quick to point out the bridge that links the two and what she deduced must be the border checkpoint in the middle of it.

Landing in Doha we were met by one of the things Jenny hates most while traveling, parking on the tarmac and being bussed into the terminal, “Not a good first impression,” were her exact words! This quickly was rectified by designated business class busses that whisked us away before the rest of the plane was allowed to depart and honestly it was very nice because the flight was full and the busses were going to be jam-packed (But I’ll admit it was a bit bougie – though not as much as the passengers that were being picked up at the bottom of the stairs in chauffeured driven Audis).

Entering the Doha terminal we were struck by not only its size but its complete feeling of being anywhere but the Middle East. It felt more like Paris with Jenny remarking, “It was such an international group of people.” It certainly wasn’t anything like we experienced when we flew into Amman. 

We had two hours to kill before boarding so we headed to the ridiculous first class lounge which was also cavernous, understated in its elegance with mesmerizing indoor water features and a completely over-the-top, gratuitous, dining experience. We stuffed ourselves with cooked to order filet, pasta with wild mushrooms, chocolate soufflé topped with a delicious beet sorbet and an oversized crème brûlée. I only hoped that the next flight was not as bumpy as the last one otherwise, there was going to be a problem!

We touched down in Muscat at 4:12 AM in the dark. Upon entering the terminal there was no one to be seen. A gentleman, who had been traveling in first class with us, turned to me when I said how empty it was that it certainly wasn’t like the chaos at Doha. He was obviously Middle Eastern but dressed in a western style, baseball cap included, but was quick to chat with us, asking if we were transferring on to somewhere else and surprised when he heard that Oman was our destination. When I told him we were staying eight days and would be getting a car to drive around, he seemed genuinely surprised. Did we have friends there, he wanted to know. Turns out he was Omani, lived in North Carolina for five years, his son is currently at UPENN and he is a professor of economics. Mohwar was a very friendly guy and we would have loved to continue the chat if it had been possible but we said our goodbyes as we entered immigration, where we managed to crack a smile from the customs agent – a good start!

And just as our guide Nasser had said in his email, “I will wait for you at the information desk, you too [sic] won’t miss tall, dark and huge guide.” He was, and he wasn’t joking. We had our own BG if needed, but it turned out Nasser was already much more than that.

The streets of Oman were empty and the buildings pitch black which made the Magnificent Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque stand out all the more as we drove upon it. Nasser pulled over so we could get a nighttime photo of it and let us know we would be retuning to the same spot tomorrow.

We pulled into the Sheraton, where Nasser proceeded to pull out a box of flowers and handed them to Jenny, “The scholar. Just invite me to your graduation,” he cajoled her. Oh wow…what an incredibly kind gesture. I had mentioned in an email that Jenny was studying Arabic and going for her master’s in the Middle East and he took this incredibly gracious step to welcome her to Oman…unreal!

9:45 came fast…too fast but before we knew it, we were greeting Nasser again and heading out to start our tour. Our first stop was the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque which was only open to the public until 11:00. We hit a bit of a snag in roads blocked due to the Oman Ironman Race being held but Nasser pulled a couple of turns, talked his way past the cops and got us to the mosque with just enough time to do a condensed grand tour.

When it opened to the public in 2021, the mosque had the world’s largest chandelier measuring a staggering 14 meters and holding around six hundred thousand Swarovski crystals. But the Reflective Flow chandelier in Qatar now claims the title. It also had the world’s largest single piece carpet, which is now the second largest single piece carpet in the world until the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi snatched the title (I think the rest of the Arab Peninsula has some Oman envy).

The mosque is the country’s tallest structure, with an imposing 270-foot minaret. The mosque has four other smaller minarets, and together the five towers symbolize the five pillars of Islam: profession of faith, prayers, giving of alms, fasting and pilgrimage.

The mosque was an incredible sight and along with the beautiful and peaceful grounds. Nasser did a wonderful job giving us the history while playfully quizzing our knowledge about Islam and Muslim history.

Our next stop was the Mutrah Souq, a labyrinth of narrow alleyways packed with vendors selling everything you can imagine. The souq is more than 300 years old and still going strong. Unlike other souqs with aggressive vendors and notorious pickpockets, this was a very laidback experience with none of the aforementioned hassles to contend with. Did I mention Oman is very safe? The only bandit was Jenny, who made off with a shiny new gold bracelet, bought at the market price per ounce of gold, negotiated down 20% by dear Nasser – an overdue token of our pride in her for the stellar grades she received last semester during her law minor.

As the day was warm, we were hungry and beginning to fade, we skipped a stop at the National Museum (though I do think unlike many museums, we would have really enjoyed this), made a quick stop to see the palace from the outside and headed for lunch.

I had asked Nasser ahead of time, if he would please consider joining us, my treat at a traditional Omani restaurant, and if he could please select a location.

Upon entering a completely nondescript front door, we were led through a set of swinging doors to a private room where we kicked our shoes off before entering to a small space with a wall to wall Persian rug on the ground, a 3’x3′ plastic cloth on top, about six throw pillows, a box of Kleenex, salt and pepper shakers and a bottle of hot sauce. Nasser suggested we order a traditional lamb and rice dish with a lentil soup starter – perfect Jenny and I both agreed.

We had wonderful conversations again about history and traditions – Nasser explained how he watched us carefully, gauging how fast we ate so he would pace himself to not finish too far before us or after us as to not let the company feel rushed or slowed. He said in Muslim culture, the prayer comes after the food, teasing that it is that way so people with rumbling bellies like Jenny didn’t have to wait so long to eat and that the prayer is not rushed.

Oman food is heavily influenced by the spices that came from trade with India and now the large Indian diaspora. The unique things is that Omanis eat with their hands. Nasser gave me a lesson on how to scoop and pinch the rice with my fingers and then using my thumb push the pile into my mouth. I gave it a whirl a few times but figured we would be there until sunset if I had to try and eat my plate of food that way so I quickly retreated to my fork. When we were finished, Nasser asked Jenny if she would give a Muslim prayer, to which she responded that she wasn’t too sure of one but she would love to hear Nasser do it in Arabic, to which he obliged.

The last stop was another kind and unexpected one, Nasser stopped to buy us ice cream – saffron for Jenny; Mango for me; and he chose coffee. The ice cream was delicious and a perfect call!

Again, Nasser walked us into the hotel to make sure there were no problems and that we got checked in alright. He let me know that I should not worry if anything happens to my car and at least three people stop, all they want to do is help, nothing more and not to panic.

We made spontaneous plans to meet up again on our last day, when we return to Muscat. Before coming, I had read about the unbelievable kindness of the Omanis and their desire to share their life and culture with visitors, and clearly I read correct. Jenny remarked how we did not receive any of the strong stares from the men we had like when we were in Jordan, and except for a group of teenage girls in abayas that were obviously taken by Jenny, watching her and smiling intently, we never felt on display and certainly never felt uncomfortable or even out of place. Our introduction to Oman was more than we could have hoped for and certainly not what we were anticipating. It was a very easy going feeling today, of course it could have been because we were with a local, but if tomorrow and the next day prove to be even 1/2 as comfortable as today was, I think that will be a win!

The Weather Finally Caught Us

Our ride out of the valley came at 10:30 this morning. The same driver showed up to take us out at brought us in. I figure he had another day and a half under his belt so they probably assumed he was a pro now and let him come in leading another trainee.

The day was clouded, threatening to rain but the clouds were high enough still at this point that we could see all that we hadn’t been able to see when we arrived. But as soon as we got to our car the skies began to open up and the rain began to fell.

We had planned on stopping at Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful waterfall that you can actually walk behind but when we pulled into the parking lot there were two huge tour busses; four tour vans and dozens upon dozens of cars. Looking out at the falls we could see a line of people cued up to get there turn walking behind the thunderous water – definitely not our thing and so we kept on driving.

We had no plans for the day and as it turns out that was probably a good thing. The weather turned bad quickly, with lots of rain, wind, and heavy cloud cover. We considered a few stops but with the weather none seemed appealing except to make a stop for a real sit down meal, which we did at a cute restaurant where we enjoyed burgers and fries and split an Oreo pie.

Jenny decided that since we had the time and we were in Iceland, we might as well take a quick look at Reykjavik and the famous church that is there. So we made the 40 minute drive there and literally pulled up in front, snapped a few shots and continued down to the waterfront where I stopped for another photo.

Exhaustion hit Jenny fiercely all of a sudden, she had not had a good night’s sleep the last three nights and she started to feel queasy so I suggested we just head to the hotel to give ourselves time to decompress, repack, shower up and for me to do my proctored covid test.

She agreed and proceeded to pass out within minutes on the drive back. Once in the room, she immediately fell asleep again for another hour or so before finally waking. It was at this point that I decided to get my covid test over with. This is where things went south real quick…

After four attempts at trying to get the app to work properly and get through to a proctor, I finally did only to be told that the test kit had expired and there was nothing they could do. Scrambling to find another option was fruitless – either the test centers were closed or they had no more appointments for today. The soonest I could test was 8:00 AM tomorrow morning, less than two hours before my scheduled departure. To say this put a huge damper on the end of the trip would be a massive understatement. I was beyond upset.

Jenny and I did go downstairs and have a fairly enjoyable dinner before calling it a night. We talked about our favorite things we did and about Iceland in general. I think we are in agreement with all the things we loved – the whales, the black church, the drive out to see the puffins (and the puffins too), the seals, the walk on top of the volcano, the hike yesterday, the sheep farm, the drive back into those two secluded valleys and the incredible scenery. Iceland is a beautiful place but I don’t think it called to us like other places have. We certainly would return to hike and stay put in one area longer than one night but there are other places I would rather return to for that. But perhaps once we are home and we have had time for it all to settle in and we come down from the whirlwind of circumnavigating the island, our feelings for Iceland will be stronger but I don’t think it would ever be like Patagonia to us though.

It is funny because we got to talking about how much bigger Iceland feels than it appears on a map. So to try and give us some perspective we did a little comparing to the US – we were stunned at what we found. Take a look:

So…as for me getting home…well that remains to be seen. It is going to be an ugly mad dash tomorrow morning. I have to drive Jenny to the airport at 5:00 AM, then wait until 8:00 AM to get my test; return to the airport to drop the car off; walk from there to the terminal; get in line to check in with a dozen or so other flights leaving with an hour on either side of my departure time and I will have one hour and five minutes to accomplish this. I will be honest, I am usually pretty optimistic but I am not feeling so much now.

But, I do not want to end what was suppose to be the final blog on a sour note. Once again, I loved spending time with my girl – she makes me laugh a lot. I always love seeing the world through her eyes and having her point out the things I have overlooked. We missed having Billy with us, there were so many things he would have enjoyed. The fact that my teenager is still willing to spend her week vacation with me, makes me so happy. That fact she tells me she will miss me… well… I think you all know…

What A Difference A Day Makes

It was a rough sleep last night. We are staying in a type of place I have never stayed in before – a private room but with shared toilets all housed in what looks like a double wide. The Dutch guys that came in at 11.30 clearly thought they were either the only ones there or didn’t give a rat’s ass about anybody who might be sleeping. As Jenny said, if I can clearly make out what language you are speaking and every word you are saying (even if I don’t know what it means), you are clearly talking way too loud. So by the time they finally shut up it was like 12:30 and then they were at it again at 8:00 AM – hollering down the hallways, whistling while they walked, and walking so heavy our whole bunk bed shook every time they passed- which was a lot!

Why did I choose to stay in this place? Because it is the only game in town. There is no other option and I wanted remote and the photos I had seen from some of the hikes were exactly what I was looking for. The camp, Volcano Huts, is in Thórsmörk Nature Reserve, an area not easily accessed and not on a lot of tourists’ radar.

When we woke the skies were still mostly overcast but some light blue was appearing over the mountains that we didn’t even know existed yesterday. Jenny told me the skies were clearing from that direction and would be completely sunny by noon.

Of course yesterday’s weather through a wrench in our planned hike but today…. well that was a whole different ball game!

We had a basic breakfast, double checked our route, got our stuff (ie snacks) together and headed out at 11:45 to skies that we’re doing just as Jenny had said.

We double backed on a trail we took yesterday while we were scouting our plan of attack for today, making sure we knew where to go. I was exceptionally pleased that I had downloaded the route off All Trails and that I could use it while offline.

It didn’t take long before there was a fork in the path but no direction arrow to follow. We were able to quickly get on track with my app and again when the red trail markers we were following, just switched to blue and had no indication we were also on red – again thanks to the app we could make sure!

As we walked along the day cleared to nothing but blue skies and calm winds. We got a bit nervous when we read a sign that told us to be careful on windless days entering hollows and canyons near some volcano as gasses can accumulate. Again – no clear signs as to where this volcano was located (there was nothing obvious from where we stood) and we figured we would have to see it if we were getting anywhere in the vicinity.

At one point Jenny commented that it was actually a bit strange that we hadn’t seen anybody else since we had set out – I kind of liked it. I also liked the fact that there are no predators in Iceland and that it is considered exceptionally safe.

The hike was nice as we climbed into the mountains, passing through a dense area of bushes that obscured most of view until we popped out at one point and couldn’t get over our luck. We took a seat on the ground and just took it all in.

As we resumed our hike, we decided that Icelanders must like trekking uphill because we have yet to find a hike that didn’t include some serious glute-frying climbs which also means that there are some serious patella wrecking descents but it’s all in the price you pay for spending time in the mountains.

When we finally hit the top of the two serious climbs we knew we had, I wanted to take a side spur to a viewpoint that I could see, Jenny said she was good to wait for me and that she would just sit and enjoy the solitude the spot offered. I love that she is as content being alone as she is with being with friends.

From here we hiked along the spine of a mountain before dropping all the way down to the valley floor and another, far simpler, camp that sits on the edge of the floodplain. I refilled our now empty water bottle as we looked up, and I mean up, preparing ourselves for the last climb.

We had taken our time, stopping to admire the views. to have snacks, to look at the flora, to take photos, and just to talk. We don’t ever hike with the feeling we have to make our best time or beat the suggested hiking time, for that, I feel, you might as well run laps around a track.

The final climb, up to the very top of 3,000 foot Mount Valahnúkur, was a doozy but wow oh wow the views – all 360 degrees of them – were truly mesmerizing. There was a nice grassy area that we plopped ourselves down on – partly from exhaustion, partly from being captivated and partly from recognizing the luck we had had.

Yesterday, we couldn’t even see the top of Valahnúkur, even though it turns out we were only about 500 feet beneath its summit. In fact, we couldn’t see anything that we were seeing today – nothing! So we would have almost felt ungrateful if we hadn’t stopped and absorbed it all. Besides, it really was breathtaking; one of the top five scenic hikes I have yet to take. Pictures truly don’t do it justice.

After a bit, we began the descent down, most of it turned out to be the same hike we did yesterday, except for the part at the very top that I had to use my hand as a blinder to make it down, this after I first fell into a crouch as my knees buckled. Of course Jenny cheered me on saying it wasn’t really that bad and I could do it!

Being able to see the camp below gave us perspective on just how big our loop was and just how high we climbed.

I was so happy today turned out the way it did. I would have been bummed if we had been washed out. There was a lot of time and some effort put into this part of the adventure and I feel like we got everything out of it I had hoped.

As I type this blog. I am sitting outside at 8:00 PM. There is a steady breeze that certainly has a chill to it but I am still feeling the warmth of the sun and staring at nothing but azure blue skies. They say it will rain all day tomorrow; it’s OK if it does. I can not, for even a second, begrudge Mother Nature, especially after what she delivered to us today.

Once…!

It was an earlier morning today but I was very happy to have selected a place that was only a few kilometers away from the meeting place for our ride into the interior today. Unfortunately It was blowing rain sideways and the clouds were laying low obscuring much of any view.

In my research, I had read that we could drive ourselves most of the way on a very rough road, park the car basically any place we wanted in the floodplain and hope the pedestrian bridge had been moved into place somewhere nearby then hike the rest of the way in to our accommodation. I briefly thought about this but then thought I would leave the driving to the professionals because there were some smaller rivers we needed to cross to get to the parking area. We weren’t able to drive all the way to the huts because there was a much larger river that can only be crossed in specialty vehicles, like the shuttles.

When we checked in at the shuttle facility, the lady was clearly missing information because she didn’t have a few of our reservations even though we all had confirmations. Typically they run the shuttle via a bus but today they were using suped-up vans with big ole fatty tires on them. No problem, I thought, they looked better equipped than the busses.

But then the one van was full and since she was not expecting the rest of us, she grabbed another guy and right in front of us asked, “Have you driven this route before?”

WHAT… Are you freaking kidding me?

I had just been talking with a father and son duo (the other people whose reservation she couldn’t find) about watching the river crossing on You Tube and all the busses and cars getting stuck in the water.

I quickly glanced at the guy and assumed he would answer something along the lines of yes, quite a few times.

His response?…”Once.”

I swung around and looked at Jenny in horror mouthing, “You have got to be fu@king kidding me!”

She, in all her eagerness for everything to be copacetic, tried to assure me it would be OK.

Meanwhile, the lady (who was clearly the superior), told him he’d be fine and, “To just follow me through the river crossings.” She then pointed to a radio that was mounted inside the truck and told him he could use that to talk to her if necessary… Oh boy, Oh boy!

Anybody who knows me knows that I take our physical safety very seriously. Anything we do that entails risk, outside of the risks of life in general, I have researched and calculated safety measures – hence why I was leaving the driving to professionals…

So in we climbed with Jenny and I taking the second row assuming the other two would take the first row but they climbed in the third row. I quickly climbed over Jenny and took the first row closest to the doors stating, “Well… I think it would be more prudent if there was somebody in the emergency exit row. I am more than willing and capable to assist in this position.”

I was a bit relieved to see they had a window break mounted on the door frame and assured the others that I would pass it back when I was done with it, if need be.

Holy Smokes…not the way to start the journey.

The driver, I asked his name but couldn’t come close to even catching it, was clearly very cautious, falling far behind the leader but I appreciated this far more than him being some Dakar Rally driver and racing through the rivers. The lead driver stopped when we got to the major river crossing and came back and told him to, “Follow me through exactly as I go because there is a large rock underwater that you need to miss.”

Oh Lordy…Lordy!

In we went and as the superior had said, he followed her exactly and missed the rock which we could see as we passed it because of the wake we created moved the water enough.

All in all, our driver did a great job. He said one thing to us and that was that he was “in training.” In the US, with all the regulations and oversight, I think having made a run once would not have qualified one as in training to shuttle passengers!

Approaching the hiking huts, the weather was not great, it was pretty much spitting with low clouds so we could see some of the area we were in and, similar to our time in Alaska, we yearned to see it all!

We decided to grab some lunch before heading out for a hike; it was a set choice but the lamb soup hit the spot.

Jenny and I spent some time studying the map to see which hike we wanted to take, especially considering the weather. Once we had settled on one that was said to be about 2 hours or so we headed out- straight uphill again.

We have since made another observation of Iceland – hiking here is kind of like trying to drive here – there are very few signs showing you where to go and no places to pull off to let a fellow hiker pass you without doing some sort of body rub because believe it or not, there were actually bushes lining the trail here.

I have never been so lost and confused trying to hike and follow both a printed map and an online maps program. The two of us were so frustrated with trail arrows painted with colors that were never even on the official map; arrows leading to a color that didn’t show it intersecting with the color we were on and trails that turned off with no markings at all. At one point we came across an older foreign gentleman, probably early 70s, that was clearly not equipped to be hiking (no pack, no water, no hiking shoes, no poles, no weather appropriate outerwear) literally on his ass trying to slide down a hill because he had mistaken the trail direction. I was able to grab his hand and guide him down the last section he was on but both Jenny and I were so sad thinking of how nervous he must have been, all by himself, on this seriously treacherous part of the mountainside.

Jenny and I continued to the hike and our clmb up, up, up and in doing so we lost all visualization of the valley below and began hiking into fog. We hit another crossroads and couldn’t figure out where we were so in the mind of safety, I decided it best we return the way we came and throw in the towel on hiking, but not before we took a turn and ended up scrambling up, over and in between boulders to check out a cave.

The rest of the afternoon, we chilled in the main camp building, played a few games of backgammon, battleship and cup pong (all via apps on our phones – Jenny beat me in all but pong). We waited around for dinner and then decided early to bed.

Our hope is tomorrow the weather will clear; the weather apps say it will. I really hope so because you can just make out that there is a lot of beauty surrounding us.

All Good Things Must Come To An End…

All good things must come to an end and this morning we woke to a heavy cloud layer – but no rain, so we will gladly take it.

We did manage to get out the door by 9:45, an hour and a half earlier than any other morning, even including the turn around for Jenny’s charger that she left behind at the hotel, so that was a bonus. Billy would have been very disappointed that we hadn’t pulled all the covers from the bed to make sure we hadn’t missed anything…sorry honey…we won’t let it happen again!

Today we actually enjoyed more time in the outdoors hiking around at the various places we stopped than in previous days. We also made a bunch of unplanned stops and of course, a few more u-turns, and we missed two stops completely. Iceland needs to work on their signage. Some things have no signs, other things like guesthouses have signs posted on the highway.

Our first planned stop was….well…we completely missed it.
The second stop wasn’t planned and wasn’t even made for the highlight it ended up being. I saw a side road so I took a quick turn to stop to take a picture of the glacier that was coming out of the mountains but as I pulled to a stop, Jenny said, “Look there is a caribou!” Another loner hanging out with a huge black rack. It ended up being a cool photo, even with having to zoom in so much. (And BTW, I appreciate the kind feedback I have received on the photos. I am strictly using my iPhone X on this trip, so the camera is not as good as it could be).

The glaciers we were seeing are all part of Vatnajökull ice field, not only the largest in Iceland, but the largest in all of Europe with an average thickness of 1600 feet and with 30 tongue glaciers emanating from its main glacier. One of the most wild things about Vatnajökull is that it actually has eight subterranean volcanoes underneath it; two of which are the most active in all of Iceland frequently causing a phenomena known as jökuhlaup which is similar to a flash flood. While driving the Ring Road, you drive through miles of alluvial plains created from these floods.

But no matter how many stops we made, I could never quite capture the essence of these glaciers as the cloudy skies didn’t lend enough contrast to pick it up.

A stop at Jokulsarlon Lagoon put us close to a glacier but more importantly allowed us to get up close to huge icebergs. We remembered from our glacier walk in Patagonia that the ice is blue because it absorbs all colors of the spectrum but blue.

I loved listening to the icebergs dripping water, cracking, and the thundering sounds they would make as they would roll – apparently more common here then in many other glacial lagoons because the warmer salt water infiltrates the colder lagoon water and unevenly melts the bottoms of the bergs making them top heavy snd thus more prone to calving and rolling. We witnessed three such events while we were there and they were all jaw-dropping.

Jenny asked me if there were seals in the lagoon because she thought she had seen pictures of them online. I told her I wasn’t sure but as we walked along all of a sudden…BAM! Jenny spotted a seal. We ended up watching about a dozen or so seals for a good 20 minutes as they swam around, smacked the water with their tails and even leapt out of the water as they fought the strong currents. Jenny just loves them; she says they are like the labradors of the sea and they all reminded her of our sweet Lily.

From here we made a quick stop at Diamond Beach across the street, named so because the icebergs wash up and look like diamonds on the black sand beach.

Another hour and a half down the road brought us to Mulagljufur Canyon (this is one of the completely unmarked sights in Iceland but perhaps they want it that way). I hadn’t read too much about it but what I did read I thought it sounded like a good stop and a nice hike. It turned out to be both with the hike being a real butt burner as it was straight uphill for a good mile, mile and a half but the views into the canyon were beautiful, and we appreciated the slightest break in the clouds for some sun shining on the greenery and the blue skies just above.

A few more quick unplanned stops for sights that caught my fancy:

And then a stop at Fjadrargljufur Canyon, for another butt burning uphill hike, which has become quite the pilgrimage apparently since Justin Bieber filmed a music video there.

Jenny and I have had a bit of a time adjusting to all of a sudden being with loads of tourists again, and especially tour groups. The first six days were pretty much crowd free, except for the brief time we spent at Myvtan and our stop at Dettifloss Falls, but the further south and west we travel, the more people we are encountering.

Another stop, following yet another u-turn for a waterfall that caught Jenny’s fancy.

Then on to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach where we encountered the most people yet. We had a quick look; stayed high from the shore away from any sneaker waves (if you don’t know what they are look them up – watch a video- a completely crazy natural phenomena that happens frequently here on this beach).

Last stop of the day was Skogafoss Waterfalls – this was a wow waterfall because we could walk right up to the base of it practically. Of course, we got pretty wet but it was a great experience.

We pulled into our airbnb about 8:00PM. The place is small but completely comfortable with a beautiful view out the front and sheep and its own waterfalls out the back. I managed to whip up some pasta on the single, electric, plug-in burner, and topped it off with some desert I picked up at the cafe back at Reynisfjara. A perfectly enjoyable evening after a very long day.

I had to laugh because Jenny said today she thought this was her favorite drive yet. I reminded her she had told me that for three other days already. She let me know that the only reason the other three days hadn’t also been declared her favorites is that she hates the smell of sulphur, otherwise everyday would have at one point been her favorite!

The green today though, really drew her in. She lamented what a bummer it was that there was no blue sky to go with the intense emerald green but I told her, the green is enough to stand out on its own. If the more drab northern parts had also been cloudy to boot, we might have thought differently of Iceland.

Tomorrow we head inland for two nights where the weather and wifi are, at this point, looking more than questionable, so it may be a day or two before you receive days 8 and 9.

Remember I said Jenny had requested remote, well she is about to really get it!

The Long and Winding Road..,

Dare I say it? Another incredible morning…

We took a quick walk around town this morning, basically back to the area I was in last night to try and get pictures with a bit more sunlight; the sunlight cooperated, but the social media vixens did not – it was a bit comical if not a tad bit frustrating to watch them rotating poses and positions. Realizing we would not have an opportunity to take an unobstructed picture, we settled for what we could and quickly retreated.

After stopping to admire the beautiful Gufufoss Falls, we made our way back up and over the pass. If there was one thing that has frustrated me about Iceland, it is that there are very few pulloffs along the road. I am so used to hitting the brakes for a photo op and in Iceland, it is rarely possible – there is zero area to ever pull off (it is like the roads are all raised and there is a mere inches on the outside of the right line – so much so that I was in shock to see a police officer having pulled a car over and they were completely blocking the one lane of the two lane highway that is the Ring Road), so stopping for an inspirational scene is pretty much out of the question.

Today our drive was taking us in and out of the Eastern Fjords as we continue to make our way around the island back towards Keflavik. There is an easier way to go between the two places by taking the mountain pass instead of the windy roads that follow the fjords, but we didn’t want the “easy” way out, we wanted to see the remote parts so we opted for the longer way.

It wasn’t long until we hit our first bit of cloud cover; we were a bit sad but pulled ourselves together while recognizing the fact that we had been lucky beyond belief up until this point. The drive was spectacular, passing areas that geologically looked different than the previous areas we had passed. We definitely noticed that there was more green as we rounded the eastern side of the island but that the same rugged looking coastline was still present.

There was one area that Jenny kept commenting on as we passed that she just wished the sun would shine quickly on it as it was so beautiful. That word actually came up a lot again today and once again, Jenny announced that she thought today may have been the most beautiful drive we had had AND the one that felt most like the Iceland she had envisioned. There was no doubt it was impressive and there were certain areas, like the area Jenny wished would just light up from the sun, that were downright mystical. I told her it looked like elves or sprites should be hopping around up there.

As I said, it is difficult to stop on a whim, though I managed to do it a few times, like when I saw our first reindeer – a solo fellow just hanging out (which is exceptionally rare and since there is zero places for them to hide, we know they were alone). A few miles down the road we then saw a herd of about seven, and then another thirty or so miles we saw another small herd and finally one more small herd. Reindeer are not native but were introduced from Norway in the late 1700s. They had a hard time surviving in Iceland and were originally thought a failure until a herd was eventually spotted. Today, there are some 6,000-7,000 of them almost exclusively in the eastern part of Iceland and rarely seen this time of year, so we were feeling particularly lucky to see so many!

We made a few other stops along the way, not much to say about them but I will share some photos.

The one spur of the moment stop that stood out, was an enormous black sand beach, that turned out to be more of a black pebble beach but held Jenny’s fascination for a long time and she readily admitted she could have stayed on for hours more. As she plopped down and rooted around for rocks that caught her fancy, I spent time noticing all the little plants that miraculously make their home in this inhospitable environment. By the time we left, Jenny managed to assemble quite the collection of rocks and made sure to let me know that there would be no mixing with the ones I collected!

I am super lucky in that not only is Jenny a navigator extraordinaire, she figured out how to shut off the damn lane departure signals on “the bronze bandit” which reset every single flipping time I restart the car! It would have been pure torture for the both of us if she hadn’t taken that upon herself to rectify.

We pulled into Hofn around 6:30 and tried to get a table out at a restaurant but they were all full so we cut our losses and settled for another night of cup o’noodles in our hotel room – good thing I was prepared!

We have a long day tomorrow – with a lot of ground to cover and a lot of sights to see; it might be challenging getting an early go as we have yet to make it on to the road before 11:00 AM but I am keeping my fingers crossed we will manage tomorrow. The clouds are hanging heavy now and the forecast has turned south… I am hoping for the best but prepared for the inevitable. I suppose we can’t say we have experienced Iceland without dealing with the harsh climatic elements it is known for.

Disappoint?… Not A Chance

We had a wonderful night sleep in our little cottage, listening to the sheep baa and the birds sing. It is so strange that the birds are still singing after midnight.

In the morning, I headed over to the main guesthouse to get wifi to upload the blog and some breakfast hat was on offer; Jenny stayed behind happy to have some Cheerios and relax a bit more. And then to see if she could coerce one of the sheep dogs to come over for some scratches… Of course she succeeded!

The owner and I got to talking and he invited us down to his sheep barn to have a look around. Upon telling Jenny, she seemed a bit reluctant, but went along with me. It turned out to be a very nice experience for both of us.

The barn held at least a hundred sheep, separated out in smaller holding pens as almost all the ewes had given birth recently so they were in with their lambs.

There were six lambs that were orphans that the farmer fed by attaching a bottle nipple to a milk container (three orphans were his and three were the next door neighbor’s but he said it was better to put them all together so he cared for them), and then there was the youngest lamb, having been born at 5:30 this morning – tiny and adorable. We viewed a few of his rams and then Jenny got to snuggle on another lamb. All the time the sheep dog moved around inside with us; he had laser sharp focus on all the sheep and watched intently as we interacted with them – especially the babies. These dogs are truly remarkable.

As we pulled out of the valley we looked towards the east and at an enormous cloud layer that hung low in the sky. We came to the fast realization that our blue-domer days had come to an end, and we would have to be content with the clouds and wind and rain. But as we headed into the fog bank, we broke through on the other side maybe 10 minutes later and we basically never had clouds again; it turned out to be another absolutely glorious day weather wise.

We stopped in Vopnsfjordur for gas and the supermarket where Jenny and I got a kick out of the three women standing inside the door when we entered who stared us up something awful followed by the young girl working the cashier who looked at us the way we looked when we stepped out of the car and the stench of fish hit us. We had some good laughs about this on our way out of town.

We missed our first planned stop – neither one of us ever saw the sign nor did we notice if the GPS was telling us to turn but by the time we figured it out we u-turned only to realize we had missed it by a lot so we u-turned again. I would love to have some sort of tracking device that follows us along on all of our trips and shows all the u-turns, backtracking and roundabout ways we take while roadtripping!

We made a quick stop at Rjúkandafoss Waterfall since it was on the side of the road and we were ready for a break to stretch the legs.

We briefly contemplated taking a detour to a canyon whose turn off was on the way but was ultimately an hour or so down the road so I put the kibosh on that after realizing the time and considering our other planned stops and as it turns out it was a good thing.

As we headed toward the northernmost peninsula of the Eastern Fjords, we hit road construction. We laughed at the prospect of this being in the US where one side would be held up forever waiting for a flagman to lead them through but here it was basically a free for all, dodging dump trucks and bulldozers and trying to choose the path of least resistance.

Once we cleared the construction, the drive was pretty nondescript until we looked ahead along the shore and didn’t see the town we were headed to. Scanning the area for any signs of where we were going, I saw the road heading up into the mountains. “Are we going over those mountains?” I asked Jenny. A quick glance at her maps app confirmed that indeed we were.

The pass we took yesterday was nothing in comparison to this one; and I mean nothing! 10% gradients, spots with no guardrails, hairpin turns, all the while trying to focus on the road and not the scenery made for one heck of a drive, especially with someone who suffers from acrophobia to some extent, especially while in a car. But I can honestly say the views were the most spectacular of the trip so far (I know I keep saying it but they honestly keep getting better and better).

After making it down into Borgarfjörður Eystri we stopped for a snack and some coffee. The day was incredible, if not a bit blustery, but the building blocked the wind so we were able to sit outside at a picnic table in the sun and enjoy the waterview.

The whole purpose of us coming here was that I wanted to see Puffins. Jenny and I had a few good laughs sitting in the construction holdup and me white-knuckled coming over the pass saying that those freaking little Puffins had better be there. I had read that this was one of the best places to see Puffins in all of Iceland and we were there at the right time of year so I decided to take the chance.

After our meal, we continued even further along the fjord where I pulled into a parking lot with loads of other cars and looked out across the small harbor to some grass topped cliffs that were dotted with thousands of little white things ( I had already slammed the brakes on once barreling down the highway and threw the car in reverse because I had seen some sea stacks dotted with hundreds of white things hoping they were puffins only to pull my binoculars out and see they were seagulls).

We made our way towards the cliffs and over to the stairs that took us up on top and immediately we were face to face with hundreds of adorable puffins! They are so cute the way they look at you and move around on the steep slope. They would dive down into their burrows and literally disappear from sight. We just loved them and got such a kick out of watching them come in for a landing, with their wings wildly flapping.

The town was super cute. Just some photos from there:

The drive back out was just as spectacular as the drive in, and just as white-knuckling but I would not have given it up for the world.

We made a quick stop at a solar powered vending machine hut that some man placed out in the middle of nowhere as a welcome stop for people making the trek out to the peninsula. It has since turned into more of a place for people to leave nice notes and messages and just say hi while traveling.

Our final stop for the day was to be where we would stay the night tonight, a town out on the Eastern Fjords called Seydisfjördur. This town, like all the towns out on the fjords also required a drive over a pass and while this one was not quite as scary, it was just as breathtaking but in a different way. Once on top, you travel along a rather level area that was still absolutely snowpacked but with bits of teal blue lakes and rushing water breaking through, plus some art installation in the middle of it all. Dropping down into Seydisfjördur was a total change in scenery as the mountains had greened up and there were enormous waterfalls every couple hundred of feet.

Jenny could not stop saying how beautiful the drive was and declared that the first day and this day were her favorites so far, as far as scenery went, but that today’s drive probably takes the cake. It is hard to imagine that so many places can elicit such responses but in Iceland, I assure it is true. I tend to agree with Jenny, that both drives over the passes and down into the two port towns today were simply magical. Of course, it would not be the same had we not had incredible skies again but we feel so lucky we did.

Our airbnb is a funky house, that has a lot of character and is perfectly located in town. We decided tonight to go out for dinner even though we had a full kitchen to cook in. We kept it simple – pizza, but it got good reviews and it completely hit the spot.

Seydisfjordur is where the ferry from Denmark (via the Faroe Islands) arrives in Iceland. Jenny and I were looking at it out the windows of the pizza place (and out the windows of our airbnb) and talking about how fun that would be to take. When I pick Jenny up at the airport, Jenny told me of these beautiful islands she had flown over and that she needed to figure out what they were. Turned out, it was the Faroe Islands. Maybe a future trip!

At 10:15 I decided to take a little walk around town. Part of the reason I had ditched the idea of going to the canyon was that I knew I was going to enjoy this little town and just spending some time in it. I only spent about 30 or so minutes out and about, but it is definitely charming and certainly someplace I will come back to for a few days when I return with Billy. One gets the feeling it is making a move – there is a definite artsy feel here and may of the building are undergoing a renovation yet you can still get a feel for the more simpler town that was. I always have mixed feelings about this – progress as many call it; there are so many sides to the debate.

It is hard to imagine our trip going better. We recognize, on a daily basis, how unbelievably lucky we have been with the weather. I had read a few reviews of Iceland where the people said it disappointed. We have traveled to some truly stunning places scenery wise (Alaska, Montana, Patagonia, Peru) and I am completely shocked by this assessment. I said to Jenny, the only thing I can imagine, is that they must have had nothing but sky to ground clouds and saw nothing but the barren earth because otherwise I am utterly astonished that anyone could surmise that Iceland disappoints – it has done nothing but thrill!

All Is Good

Ridiculous..is our luck…another bluebird day that was already warm enough for t-shirts only at 10:00AM and not a breath of air out on the fjord.

Jenny said she wished I had woke her when the bunny came by to say hi last night but I know it was better that I didn’t and allowed her to get caught up on her sleep.

Neither one of us were very hungry but we enjoyed our coffee on the deck looking out at the view, basking in the warm morning sun.

I knew today was going to be a fairly long travel day with planned stops so there was no lollygagging around this morning. We drove into Akureyi, the second largest city in Iceland, and immediately saw two enormous cruise ships which meant we were due to run into hordes of people; the good news was we had no plans to spend any time here except to pick up some more provisions and to fill up the tank. Jenny did ask to detour quickly to the church there (it is architecturally unique) and because it was open we went inside and ended up lighting a candle for my dad. The simplicity of the church was striking in comparison to the European churches we have come accustomed to when traveling – it actually reminded me more of a Congregational church back home.

We loved that the stop lights in Akureyi use hearts for the red lights – so sweet and such a nice gesture – just something that makes you smile.

Once leaving Akureyi, most people take the new 7.5 km tunnel that was built in order to avoid the mountain pass that is very difficult to travel during the winter time. But I had read that on a clear day, the views from the pass were to die for and since, up to this point, we had had our fair share of driving through the mountains, we decided that today we would drive over the mountains. I can see why this pass would be a not so wise choice in the winter but today, it was stellar!

Thirty minutes later we pulled into Godafoss waterfall and made the short hike to the look out. As our first real close up of an immense Icelandic waterfall, they were certainly worth the stop.

From here we were going to take a detour, down to see some more waterfalls that Billy had actually emailed us about but after starting down the dirt road, we were concerned that the road to the falls was what they call an “F Road” and had not yet opened for the season so we decided it best to abort the mission and turn around.

We continued east towards Myvtan Lake where we made a stop for a picnic lunch, along the shore – with a view that could not be beat.

A few more of our scheduled stops were located jus past this area in Krafla, an area which has a a lot of geothermal activity and an intense overwhelming smell of sulphur.

Stop one was Grotagjla Cave, a quick stop that was unique in the sense it was another new geological feature I had not experienced before. The cave is basically a few steps below ground with a hot water pool in the bottom – apparently for centuries it was used as a bathing site until recently, when the water heated up more so to a temperature that was not suitable for humans to enter. This location too also played a role in Game of Thrones.

Next up was Hverir – an area full of bubbling mud pots and steam vents, where the smell almost knock us off our feet. The wild thing about this area was the entire hillside had steam emanating from it at one spot or another.

We then headed to Leirhnjúkur, passing through a large geothermal plant before reaching the parking area.

The trail started off with us trudging through still present snow drifts and across wooden boardwalks that kept you off the fragile areas. We were not actually too sure what we were going to see but I had chosen it as one of the stops out of the many recommended that I thought would interest us. As we climbed up we arrived at a platform that was overlooking a fairly large colorful thermal pool. From there, we continued the march uphill until we reached an area of hardened magma with steam pouring forth from countless cracks and fissures – these lava fields stretched as far as the eye could see in some directions. Again, a new experience actually walking along a still active volcano – though it last erupted in 1984, concluding a continual ten year eruption cycle. The total hike up and around was maybe 3 miles with incredible scenery and views the entire time.

From the top of Leirhnjükur, we could see a collapsed volcano crater across the valley with a parking lot and walkway leading to the rim. A quick detour here proved to be rather unique as well, as the crater was filled with a beautiful teal colored lake that was still holding some winter ice.

Back down through the geothermal plant and on to Vatnajökull National Park we drove, to see Dettifoss waterfall, one of the most powerful waterfalls in Europe with a drop of 144 feet. The drive there was literally a moonscape – nothing but dark ground with large rocks scattered about. After a short 1/2 mile hike, you could begin to hear the thunderous roar of the falls and before we knew it we were on top of the falls where we were very lucky in that the rainbows were out in full force with all the sunshine we had.

From here we headed North through the most uninhabited landscape we had encountered yet; we drove for two hours and except for the car we followed almost the whole way, we passed one other vehicle and not one place of life until we came within a few miles of our turnoff. Our place of habitation for the evening was an absolutely adorable tiny cottage on a sheep farm that was way off the beaten path – Jenny had asked to do Iceland without the crowds as much as possible – and today we ran into a fair amount of people (mostly tour groups) but tonight- it was us, and the sheep and a friendly cat and a view that is beyond words, in the middle of freaking nowhere – so much so I got a text from my mom at 10:00 PM (who has access to our location via our linked Apple accounts) that said, “It looks like you girls are in the middle of nowhere. I hope that’s not true.”
I responded to her, “Oh, it’s true alright…but all is good.”

For sure… all is good!