Landmannalauger to Reykjavik
By bus!
By bus!
It rained most of the night, a nice sound to sleep to if you know you are not going to get wet. My tent was dry and very comfortable.
Landmannalauger is an interesting place. Although it is well off the beaten path, the scenery is so fabulous, it draws people from all over, many of whom just come for the day. It reminds me of pictures I've seen of Mt Everest base camp -- lots of tents, people starting hikes, people finishing hikes. But there are some things unique to Iceland -- the assortment of 4x4 trucks, jeeps, and buses, as well as the parade of scantily clad bathers enroute to and from the hot pools. There's a mix of languages, kids running around, tourists here just for day hikes. In the nearly 24 hr daylight, there seems to be no letup in the activity no matter what the hour.
Landmannalauger is an interesting place. Although it is well off the beaten path, the scenery is so fabulous, it draws people from all over, many of whom just come for the day. It reminds me of pictures I've seen of Mt Everest base camp -- lots of tents, people starting hikes, people finishing hikes. But there are some things unique to Iceland -- the assortment of 4x4 trucks, jeeps, and buses, as well as the parade of scantily clad bathers enroute to and from the hot pools. There's a mix of languages, kids running around, tourists here just for day hikes. In the nearly 24 hr daylight, there seems to be no letup in the activity no matter what the hour.
I spent the morning doing dayhikes. In spite of an intermittent light drizzle, it was lovely to walk around at a leisurely pace without my pack, enjoying the strange rock formations and stunning colors, not to mention hissing, bubbling, wafts of steam and warm air, and the smell of sulfur.
Finally it was time to board the bus back to Reykjavik. These are no ordinary buses, as the first thing they must do on leaving Landmannalauger is to ford a river. And I mean a RIVER. This photo was taken midway across. Then we spent the next two hours rattling across primitive roads, lava fields, and gravel bars. But, this being Iceland, a country of contrasts, we did so in style, with -- of all things -- free wireless internet.
By 10 PM, after a total of 6 hours on two different buses (both with wifi!), I was in a different world: the lovely Hotel Berg in Keflavik, where I proceeded to unpack my wet camping gear and carefully spread it out to dry.
The last sound I heard before I fell asleep was .... nothing. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. :-)
The last sound I heard before I fell asleep was .... nothing. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. :-)
