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Published: June 21st 2008
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Blue Lagoon
This image was taken near the power plant, down an unmarkd road where few torist venture out to. We have lived the dream in Iceland and completed the first chapter of our epic journey around the world.
Iceland is a land of distinct geological regions offering a wide variety of sights. The entire country is clean—very clean. The people are very resourceful, hardy and sincere people. Although Icelanders may appear to be distant or rude, it is there nature to be weary of strangers until they get to know you. We have completely enjoyed our time in this island nation of the north.
Our entire experience in Iceland has been much better than either of us could have asked for. Perhaps the most special part of this journey so far has been the people we have met. Living in a hostel naturally lends itself to meeting people. We have met some truly remarkable people on the first leg of our trip and have developed some new friendships. There is a special bond among the traveling community that brings people together. In all of our years of staying in expensive hotels, we never had the opportunity to meet special people like we have so far. It is exciting to hear people’s stories. Everyone we have met so far has shared
their stories and great insight about their home countries. We have met some great people from Holland, Portugal, Italy, France, Canada, Australia, Austria, Latvia, South Africa, Korea, and Spain. Although everyone comes from different countries and have different backgrounds, we all seemed to share the common bond of our love of travel and adventure. Although many of the travelers we have met are much younger than us, it is neat to be around them. It keeps us both young in heart and spirit.
A special note goes to the entire staff of the City Hostel in Reykjavik for making our stay extra special. In particular, we met 4 very special staff who went out of their way to make sure our stay was superb. Thank you to Margret, Charelle, Sasha, and Yvon. You are all great people and some of our new friends. The City Hostel is a remarkable hostel with some awesome facilities.
Enjoy the attached photos from the Blue Lagoon. Lynne and I spent an entire day relaxing in this fascinating place. As many of you know, Lynne and I have a slight addiction to soaking in thermal waters. My addiction is a little more severe than
Lynne’s. Lynne even says that I am obsessed with soaking—and she is right on target. As we explore the world, we will continue to seek out these thermal waters to keep us young and refreshed.
As we progress on this trip, we are learning travel secrets from some of our new friends. We are learning great tips about transportation, costs savings and how to function on the road for an extended period of time. Thanks to each of you for sharing your wisdom.
Lynne and I are now beginning a very scientific study on the number of people who snore in shared accommodations while staying in hostels. We have learned the real reason ear plugs were invented.
Besides meeting new friends, we continue to meet some very colorful characters. We are keeping track of these characters and will be writing a very humorous update about these folks. Some of these stories may seem a little unbelievable, but let me tell you, we are experiencing them in real life.
I’ll share just a sample of a story with you now to give you an idea of what is yet to come.
This story takes place while staying in the City
Soaking at Blue Lagoon
Lynne enjoys the hot water Hostel in Reykjavik. The names have been changed to protect the innocent:
We checked back into the hostel after traveling around the country for a week. At 2:00 PM we checked in to room 33 which was a 4 person dorm style room. The room had two sets of bunk beds and was unoccupied when we arrived. Lynne grabbed the bottom bunk of one and I grabbed the top bunk. Later in the afternoon we got two additional roommates. Paul was from Quebec, Canada and was a really nice guy-he grabbed the other bottom bunk. Our other roommate, Crocodile Dundee, was from Australia. We didn’t meet him until after we returned from dinner. He was napping in the other top bunk. He woke up and greeted me. He then told me that he was a student in Australia. He was visiting Iceland for five weeks, but was planning on coming back for five months to play football (soccer in America). He said he was staying in the campground next to the hostel, but his tent collapsed so he decided to get a room in the hostel. Lynne and I left the room and went downstairs to visit our new
To the Bat Cave
Cave at the Blue Lagoon friends.
Upon returning to the room, Crocodile Dundee was sounds asleep and snoring up a storm. His snoring was the loudest either of us had ever experienced. Lynne grabbed her earplugs to block out this ear deafening drone. Not only was he snoring, but he suffered from sleep apnea, so he would periodically stop breathing before ripping into the next volley of snores.
Lynne fell asleep and I worked on some photos in my top bunk. All of a sudden, Crocodile Dundee sits up from a deep sleep, looks at me and says “I’ve got to go check on my tent” he then grabs his jacket, zips it up and says “Check out my new jacket, It’s made from space blanket material” He then says he likes it because it keeps him warm. He then attempts to climb down from his second floor perch and nearly crashes to the floor. He stops to regain his breath and heads out the door.
Upon his return, he struggles for about five minutes to climb up to the summit of the top bunk. I thought to myself that he was going into cardiac arrest right there on the spot. Once he summated,
Silica Mud Mask
This is cool stuff. he laid down and spent the next five minutes attempting to regain his breath. He then looks over at the computer and says “is that a computer?” I say “why yes it is”. He says “wow—that’s pretty cool”. Now this dude is beginning to freak me out. He then laid down to continue the next round of snoring.
In the morning, Lynne and I quickly dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. As we were heading out, I asked him how long he was staying in the hostel. He said he was going back to his tent and it was cold outside. He said he had a blanket to keep him warm. When we returned he was gone from the room. Our Canadian friend was in the room and stated how concerned he was about Crocodile Dundee having a heart attack and dying last night. We continued to see Mr. Dundee the next day hanging around the hostel. He even slept on a couch in the internet area the following night.
Well, folks, this is just one example of the types of people we will encounter on the road. As you can see, there are some very interesting people
out here on the road as well.
We have now arrived in London safe and sound.
Will update again as soon as possible.
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Jackie
non-member comment
Hey guys sounds like your having a great time. Dad that picture of you blowing in the wind reminds me of the first hurricane we went through when we were kids in the back yard pretending to be blowen' away by the winds. be safe and have a great time in London. love you guys and miss you.