26th Oct (Tues) - Iceland Day 1
Just before I landed in Keflavik International Airport, the aerial view took me by surprise. It looked like a no man's land. All I could see was brown land with smoke coming out from the different parts. I was intrigued.
And once I was out of the customs, I queued up at the money changer so that I could get my hands on some Icelandic krones (ISK). The currency could only be found in Iceland so I would need to change it back to other currencies before I leave Iceland as well. Even Denmark doesn't offer it.
After which, I caught the Flybus from the airport (2500 ISK) to town. It took about 45 mins - during which, I had to change to a smaller shuttle bus, which was included as part of the ticket.
Along the way, I was awe struck by the un-hindered view of nature once again. There were no skyscrapers, no big billboards nor tall trees that would play peekaboo with you. So I could pretty much see the mountain ranges, the sea and the moss-covered lava mould/ soils as we sped along the highway. Amazing... although it kinda reminded me a little bit of the Scottish highlands, it was obvious that Iceland's landscape was very unique. And I don't think that there is any camera in this world that could capture the beauty of Iceland as well as the human eyes do. And so sadly, I must say that my photos did not do any justice to the magnificient landscape. And I also think that Iceland is a place to be experienced and not a place where you just look at surface value or from picture books.
Anywayz, back to the topic. I alighted at Laugavegur, the main shopping street in Reykjavík. But I wasn't there to shop. I was there to settle my 5-day tour package with Arctic Adventures.
After having sorted out my booking, I headed towards my hostel which was located about 15 mins away from city centre by bus. A single bus ride cost 280 ISK and I was told that it's best to carry the exact amount as the bus driver would not be able to give you the change.
I didn't do much for the rest of the evening as it was too chilly (2°C outside, not factoring the wind chill) to head out and I had to prepare for my big day tomorrow :) Yes! Tomorrow will be day 1 of my "adventure" trip with Arctic Adventures. Am soooooo looking forward to it.
* P.S #1: I didn't realise that Iceland's behind Denmark by 2 hrs. So what I thought was an hr flight turned out to be 3 hrs - from Copenhagen airport (Denmark) to Keflavik International Airport (Iceland).
* P.S #2: The hot water from the tap tastes weird - like water with sulphur. But that's because of its geothermal origins so although it's safe for drinking, it's better for bathing. And I realised that the hostel has no heater at all. Well, they don't need it since there's naturally heated water :) But if I let the tap run cool for a few seconds, the cold water is refreshing and somehow feels like I'm drinking chilled Evian. How cool is that! I later found out that that's because it's pure spring water.
* P.S #3: Heard that wind chill in Iceland average from about 16m/s to 26m/s. And if you are around some parts of the coast (can't remember which direction), the speed can go up to 45m/s. SCARY...
* P.S #4: Icelandic hot dog is a must-try! It's made of lamb and tasted way less salty than the traditional pork/ chicken sausage hot dogs.
And once I was out of the customs, I queued up at the money changer so that I could get my hands on some Icelandic krones (ISK). The currency could only be found in Iceland so I would need to change it back to other currencies before I leave Iceland as well. Even Denmark doesn't offer it.
After which, I caught the Flybus from the airport (2500 ISK) to town. It took about 45 mins - during which, I had to change to a smaller shuttle bus, which was included as part of the ticket.
Along the way, I was awe struck by the un-hindered view of nature once again. There were no skyscrapers, no big billboards nor tall trees that would play peekaboo with you. So I could pretty much see the mountain ranges, the sea and the moss-covered lava mould/ soils as we sped along the highway. Amazing... although it kinda reminded me a little bit of the Scottish highlands, it was obvious that Iceland's landscape was very unique. And I don't think that there is any camera in this world that could capture the beauty of Iceland as well as the human eyes do. And so sadly, I must say that my photos did not do any justice to the magnificient landscape. And I also think that Iceland is a place to be experienced and not a place where you just look at surface value or from picture books.
Anywayz, back to the topic. I alighted at Laugavegur, the main shopping street in Reykjavík. But I wasn't there to shop. I was there to settle my 5-day tour package with Arctic Adventures.
After having sorted out my booking, I headed towards my hostel which was located about 15 mins away from city centre by bus. A single bus ride cost 280 ISK and I was told that it's best to carry the exact amount as the bus driver would not be able to give you the change.
I didn't do much for the rest of the evening as it was too chilly (2°C outside, not factoring the wind chill) to head out and I had to prepare for my big day tomorrow :) Yes! Tomorrow will be day 1 of my "adventure" trip with Arctic Adventures. Am soooooo looking forward to it.
* P.S #1: I didn't realise that Iceland's behind Denmark by 2 hrs. So what I thought was an hr flight turned out to be 3 hrs - from Copenhagen airport (Denmark) to Keflavik International Airport (Iceland).
* P.S #2: The hot water from the tap tastes weird - like water with sulphur. But that's because of its geothermal origins so although it's safe for drinking, it's better for bathing. And I realised that the hostel has no heater at all. Well, they don't need it since there's naturally heated water :) But if I let the tap run cool for a few seconds, the cold water is refreshing and somehow feels like I'm drinking chilled Evian. How cool is that! I later found out that that's because it's pure spring water.
* P.S #3: Heard that wind chill in Iceland average from about 16m/s to 26m/s. And if you are around some parts of the coast (can't remember which direction), the speed can go up to 45m/s. SCARY...
* P.S #4: Icelandic hot dog is a must-try! It's made of lamb and tasted way less salty than the traditional pork/ chicken sausage hot dogs.
Labels: Copenhagen_Iceland - 2010
posted by ikan bilis at 3:15 AM
Comment (0)
