28th Oct (Thurs) - Iceland Day 3
PRELUDE:
Before talking about what I did on Day 3, let me cite the unfortunate accident that happened on Day 2.
Well, I was supposed to drive an ATV into the mountain terrains on my own yet keeping in line with the rest of the group at the same time. Yes. Me. Alone. Driving. That's a real scary thought for a person who only knew how to maneuver bumper cars and shopping carts.
I did highlight the fact that I didn't know how to drive and have no confidence in doing so, to the guide. But she assured me that it was easy and you didn't need a license to operate the ATV. So, I decide to give it a shot. I mean, how bad could it get?
So I got myself into a fat jumper (underneath I wore my Triclimate)...
... got into the ATV that was in the middle of the line...
... and began my drive.
Alas, within 2 - 4 mins of my drive, I literally "drove" myself into a nearby ditch.
Well, here's the thing. I couldn't get a grasp on how to control the gas pressure so instead of slowing, I sped up. By the time I realised I was nearing the ditch, it was too late to turn back. The next "best" thing I tried to do was to release my hand from the pressure button and tried to brake. But given that the brake was too big for me to get a good grip and in that moment of panic, my already-loose-grip loosened further, it was a lost cause.
You know those movie scenes that featured a car dangling at the edge of the cliff (half body on land and half in the air)? Well, I was in that situation. At least for a second or so. I remembered telling myself that there was still hope and if I could keep real still... maybe... there's a chance... maybe.
But in a split second, my hope was dashed and I went tumbling into the ditch (in slow mo - or at least it seemed), together with the ATV. I remembered falling and landing almost gently onto the uneven ground (think the fat jumper cushioned off the impact) and gradually rested my head on the dirt after my instincts told me it was fine to do so. And then, I felt the weight.
Half the vehicle weight came crushing down on my ribs and I was suddenly gasping for air while sheer pain shot through my ribs. My lungs (or ribs) felt like they were about to burst and my survival instinct kicked in. I started gasping wildly for air through my mouth.
At that instant, I heard voices on my sides. The guys in my group had rushed down to help. One of them was a paramedic. He asked if I was alright and all I could mutter was something along the lines of "Can't breathe. Get it off me."
Within seconds, the part that was crushing me got lifted up but the guys couldn't get it out of my way totally. They could only suspend it for as long as they could hold and just high enough for me to squirm.
In the meantime, the paramedic assessed my condition and after having ascertained that my legs and other body parts were not injured, he asked me to gradually "pull" myself out from underneath the vehicle while he lent a helping hand from the back.
I got back to my feet gradually and felt sore all over, especially on my right lower back (apparently I hit on a rock or something) and my ribs. My guide was thoroughly shocked and so was the rest of the group. I felt so apologetic for wasting their time and grateful for their help at the same time. I couldn't stop apologising to them for the rest of the trip.
After a short rest (which included the guide checking the condition of the crashed ATV as well), we got back onto the road again. This time, I sat behind the guide. As the unbeaten track was super bumpy (I felt like I could get thrown off the ATV some times even though I was clinging on to the handles), it caught me off guard and startled me on and off as well. Although I was still feeling shaky and my tears set in from time to time (I was told that my mind was trying to recuperate from the trauma that's why), I was glad that I continued on as it took my mind off the accident a little and allowed me some time to calm down.
And I was relieved to hear that the crashed ATV only had a minor gas leak problem which was easily fixed and I didn't have to pay for any damages. Phew. And of course, I was glad for a lot of other things as well. A lot of things could have gone wrong and went extremely bad -i.e.: If it wasn't for the uneven pit that held off half the vehicle weight, the entire ATV could have landed on me and crushed my bones. If it wasn't for the jumper suit and the timely help from the rest of the group, I couldn't have walked away with just a bruised rib and lower back injury. If it wasn't for the soft ground (it rained in earlier in the morning), I could have hit my head real hard when I landed. Yes. Many other things could have gone wrong. But it didn't. And I'm glad to be alive and kicking. :)
After the ATV session, I had a bowl of super delicious traditional Icelandic (lamb) meat soup that helped calmed my nerves further, before moving on to my Icelandic horse riding. I was still feeling sore but well enough to continue forth.
I'd asked for a smaller Icelandic horse thinking that it'd be easier to manage. Turned out that I got a delinquent which refused to move every now and then. According to the trainer, she (the horse) does that only to certain pple... for instance, young children. KNS. And so, I had a hard time trying to catch up with the trainer and the other 2 fellow travelers. In the end, we had to resort to "whipping" to scare her into speeding up.
When we got back to the stable, I gave her a good pat and rub once I dismounted. Well, even though she gave me a hard time earlier, I was grateful for the fact that she kept me safe while I was riding her - be it the times when we were crossing the river streams or going up hill and down hill. And I was glad that she didn't throw a tantrum and threw me off. There. She deserved a good pat and rub after all :)
***********************************************************************************
DAY 3
I did it! Not bad for a water-phobic. Made it through an hr odd of snorkeling in the 2°C water (after adorning my thermal, then a puffy insulated jumpsuit, then a dry suit, then thermal gloves and special headgear), just to see the Silfra lava fissure that lies between the continental plates of Europe & America! Unbelievable! I don't have the underwater pix but I do have pix of on land :)
At first I was so afraid that I wanted to give up. But I kept telling myself that I've already signed up for this and canceling at this very last minute would (1) cause a lot of trouble for the instructors and fellow snorkelers, (2) no refund and (3) more importantly, if I gave up then, I would most probably never ever touch it again even if another opportunity came knocking.
So I gritted my teeth and continued, despite constant (and rather unnecessary) fear of sinking/ drowning. I gritted real hard on the mouth piece as if it was the only thing that separated me from living and drowning.
Of course, the many layers of clothing kept me afloat as well. When I first finished donning on all the layers, the instructor told me to pull open the fabric near my neck and squat down slowly, so that the excess air (which was what made me look like a super duper fat teletubby) could be let out. It felt like I'd just vacuum-packed myself.
One of the fellow snorkelers then commented that I still had too much air in my suit and it was keeping my body half in water and half on surface, and I should get the instructor to help "vacumn-pack" myself again. But I said no. I was happy to be floating. That kinda took off some stress from me. The fellow then shrugged and swam away. Oh well, those who could swim would never understand one's phobia of water.
Anywayz, since I was so afraid and I always ended up snorkeling in the opposite direction and/or ended up being the last in line, I kept whimpering and whimpering until one of the instructors decided to just snorkel beside me to give me that peace of mind. And that helped a lot. Seriously. I'm really grateful for that. It made a huge difference to know that if anything did go wrong. Help was within a metre.
At times, I would look up from the water to see if he was still around. Most of the time, he was. But at times when he wasn't, I would panic. Like seriously panic. Then I would try to see where the rest were and tried snorkeling over. And when I looked up again, he was back in my vision. Thank goodness.
Panic also struck when I kept floating over to the deep fissure instead of the shallower waters as well. Then, I would paddle like crazy and attempt to swim (rather hopelessly) over to the shallower side. Stupid current.
And oh! It struck again at the last league. I was almost there to join the others on shore but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't move forward! By then, all my energy had drained off and I was so close yet so far. The instructors had all gone on shore as well and I was the only one still in the waters. I panicked and accidentally swallowed a few sips of water that almost chocked me. I turned over to float, removed my mouth piece and did some panic breathing. Then I heard the instructors cheering me on and I gritted my teeth and tried again.
At what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the shores. But I was so drained out that I could hardly get myself out of the water. One of the instructors had to pull me up. But yeah!!!! I made it after all.
My fears apart, the whole experience had been rather surreal - like watching Discovery Channel on 3D through a shallow water-filled panel. According to my instructors, the fissure offered up to 100m underwater visibility.
I kinda paddle/ floated around rather weightlessly - except when there was a current and I had to paddle against it to continue forward. There's no marine life (in terms of fishes) in this part of the fissure but I did come across one or two white shrimps (those that DC showed in deep sea documentaries) and an alien-looking creature that looked more a like a magnified version of deep sea plankton as opposed to a jellyfish.
But I don't think I would ever do snorkeling again though I seriously think it's the nest way to develop abs over a shorter period of time compared to other sports. Main reasons:
1) I'm still water phobic
2) Asia climate = no need for "fat" suit = I can't float = I'll hallucinate drowning
3) Abundance of marine life in Asia tropical waters = busy pushing them away or avoiding them = possible collision with marine species = panic attack under water
Oh! By the way, I thought I'd gotten myself an underwater proof camera but it turned out that it was only water proof (i.e. withstand rain droplets) and not underwater proof (i.e.: for me to snorkel with) - see below. In any case, I wouldn't have been able to bring it to the fissure with me even if it's underwater proof. 'Coz (1) my hands couldn't hold on to anything with those over-sized thermal gloves and (2) I would rather keep my hands free in case I unwittingly hallucinate that I'm drowning and needed to grab onto something or anything.
* P.S: Since my Northern lights chase was cancelled due to bad weather, I took the time off to visit the local clinic to check on my ribs. Had to take a cab there (cost about 2250 ISK) as it was in another town and quite far from where I stayed.
Doc said it should be fine and no need to do any X-ray, though the pain may stick around for a few weeks. Even if there's a hair line crack, there was nothing he or I could do anyway.
And after visiting the doc, I strayed into a nearby mall (while trying to look for a taxi stand) and got myself a 20" luggage/ trolley bag so that I could reduce the load from my back pack and in turn, reduce the pressure on my ribs. Cost me 5999 ISK inclusive of the 25.5% tax. Darn!
But compared to Copenhagen, Iceland's actually way more affordable and the daily expenses would probably be more comparable to the cheaper European states and not Scandinavia.
Before talking about what I did on Day 3, let me cite the unfortunate accident that happened on Day 2.
Well, I was supposed to drive an ATV into the mountain terrains on my own yet keeping in line with the rest of the group at the same time. Yes. Me. Alone. Driving. That's a real scary thought for a person who only knew how to maneuver bumper cars and shopping carts.
I did highlight the fact that I didn't know how to drive and have no confidence in doing so, to the guide. But she assured me that it was easy and you didn't need a license to operate the ATV. So, I decide to give it a shot. I mean, how bad could it get?
So I got myself into a fat jumper (underneath I wore my Triclimate)...
... got into the ATV that was in the middle of the line...
... and began my drive.
Alas, within 2 - 4 mins of my drive, I literally "drove" myself into a nearby ditch.
Well, here's the thing. I couldn't get a grasp on how to control the gas pressure so instead of slowing, I sped up. By the time I realised I was nearing the ditch, it was too late to turn back. The next "best" thing I tried to do was to release my hand from the pressure button and tried to brake. But given that the brake was too big for me to get a good grip and in that moment of panic, my already-loose-grip loosened further, it was a lost cause.
You know those movie scenes that featured a car dangling at the edge of the cliff (half body on land and half in the air)? Well, I was in that situation. At least for a second or so. I remembered telling myself that there was still hope and if I could keep real still... maybe... there's a chance... maybe.
But in a split second, my hope was dashed and I went tumbling into the ditch (in slow mo - or at least it seemed), together with the ATV. I remembered falling and landing almost gently onto the uneven ground (think the fat jumper cushioned off the impact) and gradually rested my head on the dirt after my instincts told me it was fine to do so. And then, I felt the weight.
Half the vehicle weight came crushing down on my ribs and I was suddenly gasping for air while sheer pain shot through my ribs. My lungs (or ribs) felt like they were about to burst and my survival instinct kicked in. I started gasping wildly for air through my mouth.
At that instant, I heard voices on my sides. The guys in my group had rushed down to help. One of them was a paramedic. He asked if I was alright and all I could mutter was something along the lines of "Can't breathe. Get it off me."
Within seconds, the part that was crushing me got lifted up but the guys couldn't get it out of my way totally. They could only suspend it for as long as they could hold and just high enough for me to squirm.
In the meantime, the paramedic assessed my condition and after having ascertained that my legs and other body parts were not injured, he asked me to gradually "pull" myself out from underneath the vehicle while he lent a helping hand from the back.
I got back to my feet gradually and felt sore all over, especially on my right lower back (apparently I hit on a rock or something) and my ribs. My guide was thoroughly shocked and so was the rest of the group. I felt so apologetic for wasting their time and grateful for their help at the same time. I couldn't stop apologising to them for the rest of the trip.
After a short rest (which included the guide checking the condition of the crashed ATV as well), we got back onto the road again. This time, I sat behind the guide. As the unbeaten track was super bumpy (I felt like I could get thrown off the ATV some times even though I was clinging on to the handles), it caught me off guard and startled me on and off as well. Although I was still feeling shaky and my tears set in from time to time (I was told that my mind was trying to recuperate from the trauma that's why), I was glad that I continued on as it took my mind off the accident a little and allowed me some time to calm down.
And I was relieved to hear that the crashed ATV only had a minor gas leak problem which was easily fixed and I didn't have to pay for any damages. Phew. And of course, I was glad for a lot of other things as well. A lot of things could have gone wrong and went extremely bad -i.e.: If it wasn't for the uneven pit that held off half the vehicle weight, the entire ATV could have landed on me and crushed my bones. If it wasn't for the jumper suit and the timely help from the rest of the group, I couldn't have walked away with just a bruised rib and lower back injury. If it wasn't for the soft ground (it rained in earlier in the morning), I could have hit my head real hard when I landed. Yes. Many other things could have gone wrong. But it didn't. And I'm glad to be alive and kicking. :)
After the ATV session, I had a bowl of super delicious traditional Icelandic (lamb) meat soup that helped calmed my nerves further, before moving on to my Icelandic horse riding. I was still feeling sore but well enough to continue forth.
I'd asked for a smaller Icelandic horse thinking that it'd be easier to manage. Turned out that I got a delinquent which refused to move every now and then. According to the trainer, she (the horse) does that only to certain pple... for instance, young children. KNS. And so, I had a hard time trying to catch up with the trainer and the other 2 fellow travelers. In the end, we had to resort to "whipping" to scare her into speeding up.
When we got back to the stable, I gave her a good pat and rub once I dismounted. Well, even though she gave me a hard time earlier, I was grateful for the fact that she kept me safe while I was riding her - be it the times when we were crossing the river streams or going up hill and down hill. And I was glad that she didn't throw a tantrum and threw me off. There. She deserved a good pat and rub after all :)
***********************************************************************************
DAY 3
I did it! Not bad for a water-phobic. Made it through an hr odd of snorkeling in the 2°C water (after adorning my thermal, then a puffy insulated jumpsuit, then a dry suit, then thermal gloves and special headgear), just to see the Silfra lava fissure that lies between the continental plates of Europe & America! Unbelievable! I don't have the underwater pix but I do have pix of on land :)
At first I was so afraid that I wanted to give up. But I kept telling myself that I've already signed up for this and canceling at this very last minute would (1) cause a lot of trouble for the instructors and fellow snorkelers, (2) no refund and (3) more importantly, if I gave up then, I would most probably never ever touch it again even if another opportunity came knocking.
So I gritted my teeth and continued, despite constant (and rather unnecessary) fear of sinking/ drowning. I gritted real hard on the mouth piece as if it was the only thing that separated me from living and drowning.
Of course, the many layers of clothing kept me afloat as well. When I first finished donning on all the layers, the instructor told me to pull open the fabric near my neck and squat down slowly, so that the excess air (which was what made me look like a super duper fat teletubby) could be let out. It felt like I'd just vacuum-packed myself.
One of the fellow snorkelers then commented that I still had too much air in my suit and it was keeping my body half in water and half on surface, and I should get the instructor to help "vacumn-pack" myself again. But I said no. I was happy to be floating. That kinda took off some stress from me. The fellow then shrugged and swam away. Oh well, those who could swim would never understand one's phobia of water.
Anywayz, since I was so afraid and I always ended up snorkeling in the opposite direction and/or ended up being the last in line, I kept whimpering and whimpering until one of the instructors decided to just snorkel beside me to give me that peace of mind. And that helped a lot. Seriously. I'm really grateful for that. It made a huge difference to know that if anything did go wrong. Help was within a metre.
At times, I would look up from the water to see if he was still around. Most of the time, he was. But at times when he wasn't, I would panic. Like seriously panic. Then I would try to see where the rest were and tried snorkeling over. And when I looked up again, he was back in my vision. Thank goodness.
Panic also struck when I kept floating over to the deep fissure instead of the shallower waters as well. Then, I would paddle like crazy and attempt to swim (rather hopelessly) over to the shallower side. Stupid current.
And oh! It struck again at the last league. I was almost there to join the others on shore but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't move forward! By then, all my energy had drained off and I was so close yet so far. The instructors had all gone on shore as well and I was the only one still in the waters. I panicked and accidentally swallowed a few sips of water that almost chocked me. I turned over to float, removed my mouth piece and did some panic breathing. Then I heard the instructors cheering me on and I gritted my teeth and tried again.
At what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the shores. But I was so drained out that I could hardly get myself out of the water. One of the instructors had to pull me up. But yeah!!!! I made it after all.
My fears apart, the whole experience had been rather surreal - like watching Discovery Channel on 3D through a shallow water-filled panel. According to my instructors, the fissure offered up to 100m underwater visibility.
I kinda paddle/ floated around rather weightlessly - except when there was a current and I had to paddle against it to continue forward. There's no marine life (in terms of fishes) in this part of the fissure but I did come across one or two white shrimps (those that DC showed in deep sea documentaries) and an alien-looking creature that looked more a like a magnified version of deep sea plankton as opposed to a jellyfish.
But I don't think I would ever do snorkeling again though I seriously think it's the nest way to develop abs over a shorter period of time compared to other sports. Main reasons:
1) I'm still water phobic
2) Asia climate = no need for "fat" suit = I can't float = I'll hallucinate drowning
3) Abundance of marine life in Asia tropical waters = busy pushing them away or avoiding them = possible collision with marine species = panic attack under water
Oh! By the way, I thought I'd gotten myself an underwater proof camera but it turned out that it was only water proof (i.e. withstand rain droplets) and not underwater proof (i.e.: for me to snorkel with) - see below. In any case, I wouldn't have been able to bring it to the fissure with me even if it's underwater proof. 'Coz (1) my hands couldn't hold on to anything with those over-sized thermal gloves and (2) I would rather keep my hands free in case I unwittingly hallucinate that I'm drowning and needed to grab onto something or anything.
* P.S: Since my Northern lights chase was cancelled due to bad weather, I took the time off to visit the local clinic to check on my ribs. Had to take a cab there (cost about 2250 ISK) as it was in another town and quite far from where I stayed.
Doc said it should be fine and no need to do any X-ray, though the pain may stick around for a few weeks. Even if there's a hair line crack, there was nothing he or I could do anyway.
And after visiting the doc, I strayed into a nearby mall (while trying to look for a taxi stand) and got myself a 20" luggage/ trolley bag so that I could reduce the load from my back pack and in turn, reduce the pressure on my ribs. Cost me 5999 ISK inclusive of the 25.5% tax. Darn!
But compared to Copenhagen, Iceland's actually way more affordable and the daily expenses would probably be more comparable to the cheaper European states and not Scandinavia.
Labels: Copenhagen_Iceland - 2010
posted by ikan bilis at 3:56 AM
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