Iceland Ring Road Packing Checklist (with a downloadable link)

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(This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission for referring you. This comes at no additional cost to you. Please note I only offer resources that I have used and strongly recommend!)

Even though I love to travel, one of my least favorite parts about it is packing. I always leave it to the last minute, sometimes hours before my flight.

However, with the excursions we had planned for Iceland and the fact that we were going to be living out of a van for twelve days, I knew that this was one of those trips where I could not leave it all to the last second. We had our trip planned for about nine months, and over that period of time we gradually bought the gear and equipment we needed.

Packing for the Ring Road was definitely tricky, so for anyone who is struggling to think of what to bring for their trip, here is a list of what I had for our twelve day road trip this past October.

You may also download a printable document of this list by clicking here!




Iceland Ring Road Packing List

CLOTHING

Layering is everything when you are traveling in Iceland. You want to be prepared for conditions that are from dry and mild to wet and freezing. Having layers on comes in handy because you can add or remove them as the weather conditions change. For the twelve days we were there, I had about five outfits and re-wore each of them about three times. I know… this probably sounds gross to some people but this trip isn’t meant for you to look glamorous the whole time.

SHOES

If you plan to mostly hike and sightsee during your trip, you really don’t need a whole lot of shoes to choose from. We wore our waterproof hiking shoes every single day for the majority of the day because we never knew how the trail conditions of the hikes would be. They ended up being mostly muddy so the boots were put to good use.

WINTER WEAR EXTRAS

You can never go wrong with having extra winter gear. You definitely want to cover as much skin as possible when you are in the colder parts of Iceland.

CAMPING GEAR

TECHNOLOGY / CAMERA EQUIPMENT

SHOWER ITEMS

A mistake I made was not bringing a bag to put all of my toiletries in to carry to the camp showers. Luckily my sister had something that I could borrow, but having a drybag to carry all of your toiletries in helps keep the van organized and makes your trip to the showers much easier. I also highly recommend a microfiber bath towel because they are compact and don’t take up as much room.

ADDITIONAL TOILETRIES

  • Face masks, eye masks - You cannot bring enough of these. I didn’t think to bring any masks otherwise I would have done one every night to fight the dry air

  • Rosewater facial mist - This is nice to spray on your face throughout the day to keep it from drying out

  • Aquaphor - great for extremely dry skin

  • Travel first aid kit

  • Body / hand lotion

  • Lip balm

  • Baby wipes - these are fantastic with cleaning up any messes, wiping dishes clean if you do not have access to a sink, wiping down the van, etc.

  • Hand warmers

  • Foot warmers

DRY FOOD

Download a printable document of this list by clicking here!

I hope that this helps you! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below!

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Iceland Ring Road Travel Tips

(This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission for referring you. This comes at no additional cost to you. Please note I only offer resources that I have used and strongly recommend!)

ICELAND RING ROAD TRAVEL TIPS-2.png

Do not step or walk on the moss.

As you are traveling throughout Iceland, there are certain parts you will pass through that have beautiful lava rock fields with moss growing on it. It will be tempting to stop on the side of the road and get your Instagram-worthy photo, but DO NOT STEP OR DRIVE ON THE MOSS. It is extremely fragile and can take hundreds of years to repair. With tourism in Iceland gaining popularity in recent years, many areas of the moss fields have been destroyed by tourists walking where they shouldn’t.

I do not recommend speeding.

In general, I do not recommend speeding at all but, it may be tempting when you have a stretch of open road ahead of you with no cops around. In Iceland there are satellite cameras posted throughout the Ring Road. The last thing you want when you are home saving money for your next trip is a speeding ticket.

BÓNUS Supermarket is the best place to get groceries on a budget.

To give you some perspective of how expensive Iceland is, a single serving of fish ‘n chips cost us $25 USD. Yes, seriously. When we were planning our trip the cost of food was one of our concerns, but we learned that one of Iceland’s main grocery stores, Bónus Supermarket, was a great way to do Iceland on a budget. I highly recommend planning to cook your own meals with groceries from Bónus rather than going out to eat if you want to save money. We spent about $115 USD for the three of us, and our food lasted about a week.

When you go grocery shopping, don’t buy all your food in one stop.

Split the grocery shopping for your trip up in half or in thirds so you don’t have any food that will spoil. We were scrambling to eat some of the food we bought so it wouldn’t go to waste, and we also could have saved some space in our cooler and in the van.

The tap water is great to drink - you can’t get anything better than it.

I seriously miss the water in Iceland. I miss being able to go to any faucet to fill my HydroFlask with some of the cleanest water in the world.

‘Impassable’ road signs means that the road is closed.

We had to learn the hard way. Our first thought was that impassable meant you couldn’t pass any other vehicles on the road, but after continuing on a snowy and narrow road for quite some time, we found online that it meant that the road was closed to visitors and if you get stuck, you’re out of luck.

You don’t need to pack as many clothes as you think you do.

This is more so advice from my friend and my sister who packed more than what they feel they needed. I had five outfits for the trip, one pair of pajamas, a pair of flip flops for the showers, moccasin slippers for the van, and my hiking boots and felt I packed the right amount. Each outfit I wore 2-3 times over the course of twelve days. It is also not a bad idea to get these charcoal air purifiers to put in your bags and your shoes to keep your clothing as fresh as possible. There are washing machines at many campsites, but we never got around to doing any laundry.

The air is very dry.

Bring extra moisturizers / sheet masks and even a travel humidifier if you are used to humid climate. Our skin was extremely dry and we were wishing we had been a little more prepared.

Plan your meals ahead of time.

This will help you decide on what to buy at the grocery store and help you stick to your budget. I also recommend that you plan your meals so that they are simple and don’t require a lot of cooking. Some campsites don’t have great kitchens with all the resources you need, or they get crowded with other campers prepping their meals.

Set up a PIN number on your credit card.

You will need this mostly for gas, as the pumps will not take credit cards without a PIN number. Some places take Discover (honestly, more places accepted it than we had anticipated), but everywhere takes Mastercard and Visa. I have a travel Mastercard with no foreign transaction fees, so we used that wherever Discover wasn’t accepted (which also has no foreign transaction fees).

Without questioning, get the four wheel drive vehicle.

If you will be driving in snowy parts of Iceland (Northeastern / Northern / Eastern Regions / high in the mountains), four wheel drive is worth getting, hands down. While we were driving in the snowy mountains, we saw a few cars that were flipped in ditches and we couldn’t imagine what we would do if that happened to us.

Invest in travel insurance.

This comes in handy if you have any injuries, or if there are any damages to the vehicle you rent (we ended up getting a few scratches from rocks that kicked up and dents from horses biting the van… if your curious you can read more about our interaction with the horses in my summary post here.)

Get WiFi and use Google maps for navigation rather than using a GPS.

We paid an extra fee to have both a WiFi router that traveled with us as well as a separate GPS system in case the WiFi was not reliable. It turned out Google Maps was more accurate and much easier to use than the GPS. Overall throughout the whole trip, we had great a WiFi signal with just our three phones connected to it. We got to some points where the signal was week, but Google Maps was still able to track and show us where we were as long as we had started the navigation when there was a strong signal.

When leaving Iceland, get to the airport early.

Keflavík International Airport was the most tedious airport I’ve ever gone through and there were a lot of checkpoints between when you arrive and when you board the plane. We arrived to the airport four hours before our flight, and by the time we got to our gate we had about twenty minutes to spare.

Related Posts:

Iceland Ring Road Trip Summary: My adventures of living out of a van and traveling the Ring Road

My Week In Thailand

Thailand Travel Facts & Tips

I hope this information helps! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions!

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Iceland Ring Road Trip Summary

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(This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission for referring you. This comes at no additional cost to you. Please note I only offer resources that I have used and strongly recommend!)

Why Iceland? What is there to do there? I didn’t even know people live there.

These were all questions and comments I got while planning my trip to Iceland and still get after being back. Before researching Iceland, I also had these same thoughts but in recent years Iceland has become a tourist destination for it’s majestic waterfalls, beautiful hikes and prime location to see the Northern Lights.

At first glimpse, Iceland is expensive. But with about nine months of research and planning, we were able to gradually accumulate the gear that we needed and save our pennies.

DAY ONE - 9/29/18

We had a direct flight with WOW Airways from Chicago to Reykjavik at midnight. Iceland is five hours ahead of Chicago, and the flight was five to six hours, so we landed around 11am Reykjavik time.

Once we got our luggage, we were picked up from the airport by Lava Car Rentals, the company who we rented our camper van from and taken to their office to pick it up (we named her Lola). We got all settled into our new home on wheels and headed off to the Blue Lagoon.

We arrived to the Blue Lagoon and were welcomed at their front desk, where we checked in with our tickets and received a towel and instructions on what to do before we went into the lagoon. We headed on up to the women’s locker room, showered to slick our hair up in heaping amounts of conditioner so it wouldn’t fry in the chemically treated lagoon and got into our swimsuits.

We walked outside and nearly froze in the 40-ish degree weather, but it was so worth it when our toes hit the water. We received one complimentary drink from the lagoon bar, and also had our first sip of fresh Icelandic water from the drinking fountain under one of the bridges.

Overall, we had a great start to the trip by going to the Blue Lagoon. I am happy that it was the first place we went to after our flight landed because we were pretty exhausted and in need of bathing. If you are going to Iceland to do the Ring Road, I recommend stopping by the Blue Lagoon because of it’s beauty and popularity, however I don’t think it should be the sole purpose and reason why you should want to go to Iceland because there is so much more to see and experience.

We hopped back into Lola and headed off to a grocery store called Bónus Supermarket. It is one of two popular grocery stores in Iceland with great prices. We were able to buy groceries for a little more than half of our trip for the tree of us for only $115. Not bad at all considering that Iceland in general is pretty expensive!

The first campsite of our trip was the Reykjavik Campsite. Our first dinner meal was rice and hot dogs (so fancy, I know) which ended up tasting better than one would think. It was also our first real meal since we left for the airport in Chicago the night before so we were also starving!

We cleaned up after dinner, then headed back to Lola to turn her down for bed. We quickly found out that this was going to be a good 30-45 minute chore to tackle every day… The three of us took turns getting our pajamas and our clothes out of our giant suitcases for the next day; then followed a game of Tetris with said suitcases to get them to fit under the bench that ran parallel to the side of the van. After that was done, we reconfigured the seating area with the pieces of plywood we were given to make the full-sized bed for the three of us to share.

That night, we got off to a rough start with Lola. With it being completely our fault, the heater to keep us warm while we were sleeping turned off and the van became freezing cold. It was our fault because while we were getting ready for bed, we had the doors open andthe heater blasting. It charges while the van is running, so we completely drained it and it shut off by 11pm or so. We ended up running the van for a good 30 minutes and that was enough to recharge the heater to last throughout the rest of the night.

DAY TWO - 9/30/18

We made it through the somewhat freezing night and woke up feeling excited for a full day in Iceland! We woke up, had some breakfast, met some nice Canadian ladies who gave us free beer and wine, and then hit the road.

Our first stop was Þingvellir (Thingvellir), a national park just east of Reyjkavik and our first stop within the Golden Circle. Þingvellir translates to “Parliament Plains” and is the place where many historical events have happened, therefore making it one of the most sacred places to Icelanders. Today, it is now a protected national park where tourists can enjoy the epic views. I highly recommend visiting!

Later on in the afternoon, our first big hike of the day was to Brúarfoss Waterfall in Brekkuskógur, where we had our first interaction with feeding carrots to wild horses (important note: if you give a horse one carrot, they will be your best friend and follow you around like a lost puppy. If you decide to bring carrots, bring more than just one, and be prepared to spend quite a bit of time with them).

The Brúarfoss hike was about a 30 minute trip and it was quite confusing. There is a muddy trail that over time was created by visitors on private property, which is closed to the public due to people destroying the natural habitat and also because it is trespassing on someones property. We were pretty confused getting to the waterfall because the lot that we parked at had a path that followed a river and eventually led us to the private path, which we realized that we had taken the wrong trail when we had to climb a barb-wired fence. It turns out that the path you are supposed to take follows along the road for about 1.5 kilometers, then you take a left at a long gravel road with a traffic barricade and you continue walking until you start seeing signs for Brúrarfoss to follow. The hike was pretty muddy so we were happy to have worn our hiking boots!

Our final hike of the day was to Gullfoss. This is such a massive and powerful waterfall - a short walk from the parking lot and when we got to the end of the pathway, we were able to climb onto some rocks to see it up close.

That night, we camped at Gesthús Selfoss Campsite.

DAY THREE - 10/1/18

Day three was a bit of a chilly start. We bundled up and headed off to our first cave called Efra-Hvolshellar, or also known as the “Irish caves.” They have been around since before the 19th century.

Our next stop was Gluggafoss (also known as Merkjarfoss). It was a short drive up a gravel road from Highway One and we were able to walk up close to get some great photos. We saw our first couple of rainbows both at the waterfall and shortly after leaving - it was the strongest and brightest rainbow we have ever seen!

Once we finished up at Gluggafoss, we set out to head to a very well known waterfall that most people know as the one you can walk behind, called Seljalandsfoss. With this waterfall, we had to put our raincoats on because there is no way you can experience it without getting wet. I had on a raincoat over my winter coat, a protective sleeve that went over my camera to protect it from the mist, and finally a poncho over all of that to give my camera more protection. It was a bit difficult to take photographs but luckily my sister and friend didn’t mind waiting for me to get situated.

Once we made our way around the path behind the waterfall, we had about a fifteen minute walk to Gljufrabui, which is a hidden waterfall and probably one of my favorite ones of the entire trip. To get there, you have to walk into a gorge along rocks of a shallow stream. It is not a long walk to get to the hidden waterfall, but there were quite a few people waiting to go in or come out, and there was only one path to get in and out. Once we got in, the view was absolutely unbelievable. There is a giant rock you can climb on to stand closer (as well as to get an epic picture) looking up at the waterfall that is surrounding you. This moment gave me butterflies!

Our next venture was to, yet another waterfall, called Skogafoss. This is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland, as well as one of the wettest if you decide to hike the trail next to it, which I highly recommend. Skogafoss was one surprise after the next; as we kept hiking, we found another drop or bend in the stream. Round trip, it took us about an hour and a half to walk up and back, however we could have continued further.

Skogafoss was our last stop of the day. We were planning to stay at Skogar Campsite which is right next to the waterfall, but the office to pay was closed until the next day so we backtracked about twenty minutes and drove back to Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui where there was a campsite called Hamragarðar next to those waterfalls.

We had a big pasta dinner and an early night to bed to get enough rest for our glacier hike the next morning.

DAY FOUR - 10/2/18

We woke up around 7am to get ready for the day, pack the van back up and head off to our 9am hike of Sólheimajökull Glacier. This glacier has two volcanoes buried underneath, one of them being the volcano that erupted in 2010.

Once we got to the parking lot and office (which is a decked out school bus), we signed in and rented the equipment we needed for the hike - a helmet, climbing shoes, crampons, a harness, and an ax pick.

There was a group of about 15-20 people on the morning hike, and two guides. We split up into two groups and trekked off.

To get to the glacier, we had to hike along a black sand beached area for about 1.5 kilometers, which used to be where the glacier reached before the 2010 volcanic eruption. Once we got to the point where the glacier started, our guide taught us how to put our crampons on our boots, which are spikes that are used to grip the ice and climb vertically. He also gave us some facts about the glacier and volcanoes within it - specifically one that erupts every 30 to 100 years and how the last time it erupted was 1918… he advised that if we saw him running that we should run with him…

About 15 minutes into the hike, I realized that I made a mistake. I packed my backpack with extra stuff that I didn’t necessarily need on this hike, most of them being extra layers and some camera equipment which made it heavier and a little tougher on my back.

About two hours into the hike, we stopped at about a 10 meter wall to take a break while our guide set up the climbing gear. One by one, each of us got to experience climbing the glacier. It was thrilling, scary, tough, and something I got to check off on my bucket list.

Once we were finished up with climbing, we started to trek back down, making it about a 6 hour round trip. The weather could not have been better with the sun and blue skies out all day.

Our next stop was Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and Hálsanefshellir Cave. Since it was later in the day it was pretty crowded. The cave is located on the beach and has some incredible stones in the shapes of vertical columns.

One thing to definitely know about any beach you go to in Iceland are the sneaker waves. This beach having pretty massive waves but some you won’t see coming until it is too late. There have been some cases of people getting sucked in and drowning because they are too close to the shoreline - no picture is worth that risk.

We then headed off to the Vik Campsite for the night.

DAY FIVE - 10/3/18

Hjörleifshöfði Cave was our first stop on our fifth day. We arrived early to the parking lot and walked about 1 kilometer to the beach and around to the cave shaped like Yoda. We were able to get some pretty nice photos since we were the only ones there.

Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon was our next hike. This canyon had walls that were about 100 meters steep inhabited by moss and florals, and dates back to about two million years ago, which was around the cold periods of the Ice Age! The hike took us about an hour and a half to complete.

Our next venture was to the campsite for the night which turned out to be one of our favorites - Skaftafell Camping. The grounds are right next to the hiking trails to Hundafoss and Svartifoss Waterfalls. At this point in our trip, we only had as much as rice with hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, mac and cheese, and protein bars so we were craving something fried. Before the hike we decided to stop at the food stand at the visitors lot and splurge on a $25 fish ‘n’ chips. Yes, that kind of price is normal in Iceland.

The hike to Hundafoss and Svartifoss took us about 90 minutes round trip where we got to see both waterfalls and have incredible views of the surrounding mountains. If you plan on going on this hike, make sure to bring plenty water and some protein bars because the whole thing is uphill.

DAY SIX - 10/4/18

We had another early start to pack our day with as much sightseeing as we could. Our first visit was to Hofskirkja Church, which is the last of the 6 turf churches in Iceland to be built in this style.

We then headed off to the infamous Diamond Beach, where the small strip of black sand holds many washed up chunks of ice from a nearby iceberg, looking like a beach full of diamonds. We were glad to arrive early because of how crowded it was.

Right across the highway from the Diamond Beach was the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. This was an amazing sight of icebergs floating in the bay with a backdrop of snowy mountains. We were also able to spot a seal swimming around.

After spending about an hour or so staring in awe at the icebergs, we headed to the Hoffell Hot Tubs, which are located in the middle of nowhere with a scenic view of the mountains. While we were researching and planning our trip, we read about how Icelanders love their pools and their hot tubs, and a blogger that we followed for tips for Iceland planning recommended these ones.

We paid about $25 per person at the entrance and changed into our swimsuits in one of the trailers on the grounds. We were required to rinse ourselves off before going into the hot tubs at their outdoor showers.

We really didn’t stay in for long. It was very relaxing and peaceful, but we realized that sitting in a hot tub for an extended period of time wasn’t our top favorite activity to do. We took our pictures, changed and got back on the road.

Old Viking Village was our next stop in the small town of Höfn. This village is privately owned by a farmer, but allows tourists to visit for a small fee. The Old Viking Village can mistakenly look like a real abandoned spot, however it was built back in 2010 for an Icelandic movie that was never filmed. We were able to wander around and feel like we went back in time.

Vesturhorn Mountain surrounds this village, and the best spot for photos of it is at the Stokksnes Black Sand Beach. This view looked like a postcard with the black sand, the rolling hills on the beach and the way the fog settled at the base of the mountains.

Before hitting the road again, we stopped by the Viking Cafe to relax and have some coffee. We each ordered a swissmakka (their version of a delicious mocha) and took a breather.

Once we got to our next campsite, Djúpivogur Camping Ground, we first stopped by JFS - Icelandic Handcrafts. I recommend anyone to stop by here for a visit. This is a small family owned shop where everything is hand made by the owner, Jon. He makes jewelry, home decor, and kitchen tools out of stone, glass and fallen reindeer antlers that he has locally created over the years. We were there for about an hour just chatting with him and hearing about his story.

After saying our goodbyes, we checked into our campsite and settled down with our usual nightly routine.


DAY SEVEN - 10/5/18

We started off early the next morning with a quick stop by a smaller waterfall called Sveinsstekksfoss. This was right off of the road and a nice place to see the sun coming up.

When we were leaving, there were what seemed to be hundreds of sheep in the area and after driving for a few minutes, we came up to a pull-off area right next to a group of them. We remembered that we had carrots in the cooler, so we pulled off the road and got them out to try to feed them to the sheep. Well, we quickly realized that they weren’t so much of a “people” type of crowd when they just ignored us even with a carrot under their nose.

We hit the road again, and set off to prepare for a longer day of driving than usual. We entered the Eastern Region of Iceland where we started to drive more up in the mountains and through the snow. There was one waterfall in particular that was in a snowy area that we attempted to go to called Klifbrekku Waterfall. When we got onto the road that led to it, there was a sign that said “Impassable.” We questioned it when we got on, but assumed it meant that we just couldn’t pass anybody on the road. However, still not convinced that this was the meaning, I was able to get a decent WiFi connection to find out online that it meant “road closed.” We ended up stopping on the one-lane snowy road that had a steep decline on either side to turn Lola around. My sister, Kristi, was behind the wheel at the time, and thank goodness our dad made us learn how to drive in a pick-up truck because those skills came in handy at this time! Myself and our friend got out on either side of Lola to direct Kristi, and with more than a few point turns, she got Lola around!

After a couple hours of driving in the mountains, we decided to stop in a cute, small artistic town called Seydisfjordur. This was probably one of my favorite towns out of the whole trip besides Reykjavik to visit because it was thriving with art. I never imagined that Iceland would be a country where art was so celebrated. There were buildings completely used as an artists’ canvas, and random spots that had these amazing murals painted on them. What I assume is Seydisfjordur’s downtown area, there was a rainbow painted path surrounded by these artsy buildings that led to a baby blue church. We walked around for a bit and then had some coffee tea at Nordic Restaurant that was in the same area.

We drove a bit more, and stopped by Grjortagja cave - which, for you Game of Thrones fans, is where Jon Snow lost his virginity. There were two entrances to the cave, and we quickly realized how amazing television can do with making a small space look huge. We couldn’t go all the way into the cave but compared to how the cave looks in GOT, we were shocked by how small it was.

Our next stop was the Hverir Geothermal area. This place stinks. Really, it stinks… it smells like rotten eggs because of the geothermal activity (which we could sometimes smell in certain campsites tap water because that is how their water is heated). If you are really sensitive to smells, this might not be your favorite spot to visit. However, it was really neat to see the bubbling pools and craters that you would never find anywhere in the states. I felt like this was the closest I would get to experiencing Mars.

We headed off to the next campsite (can’t remember the name of it) that ended up being closed because of the amount of snow on the ground. After a bit of panicking, we found another campsite called Vogar Campgrounds about ten minutes further that had a pizza place next to it called Daddi’s Pizza. We checked into the campsite there and found out that we got a 15% discount since we were staying at the campsite, so we all split a large.

Our last venture of the day was one we were most excited for. We drove out to the middle of nowhere (more so than where we already were) and visited Snow Dogs. This is a family owned farm where about thirty Siberian husky’s live and on their website you are able to book to either go sledding or even just go visit the dogs. We weren’t able to go sledding, but we met a handful of one-year-old, five-month-old and three-week-old puppies. It was definitely one of the highlights to the day! Every single one of them were so sweet and just wanted to get pets and cuddles from us!

DAY EIGHT - 10/6/18

We started off our eighth day at Goðafoss waterfall, a gorgeous beast located right off of the Ring Road. Although this waterfall only stands at a height of twelve meters, it spans at a length of over thirty meters. After reading a bit more about it after visiting, an interesting fact is that it played a big role in Iceland’s conversion to Christianity back in the year 1000. Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði, who was a lawspeaker, threw his statues of Norse gods into this waterfall after he declared Christianity as Iceland’s official religion.

The small town of Akureyri was our next destination. We wandered around to take some photos of the town’s church that was on top of a hill and and also indulge in Icelandic hot dogs and Appelin at an outdoor stand called Bæjarins Beztu. We each had a traditional hot dog that had crispy and sauteed onions, cocktail sauce, and one or two other toppings that I can’t recall… Very different than the typical Chicago dog, but very delicious!

Our last stop of the day was Hvitserkur Rock, a basalt cliff that looks a bit like a three-legged animal. The rock has been reinforced by concrete at its base to prevent it from falling over. The drive to the site was not all that nice, considering that the road was a full twelve kilometers of nasty potholes, but once you get to the parking lot, there is a trail that leads to the side of the cliff for a nice aerial view.

DAY NINE - 10/7/18

First stop of day nine was the Gerðuberg Cliffs. These cliffs are made of the same rock (basalt) as the Hvitserkur Rock we saw the night prior. The cliffs are a little difficult to spot from the road because they blend in pretty well with the surrounding environment and span over 500 meters.

We did a lot of driving again this day, where we were getting really close to coming full circle around the whole island. We entered the Snæfellsness Peninsula where we would spend our last few days of our trip. and eventually got to Kirkjufell, which is a mountain that was filmed in Game of Thrones. Right next to the mountain is Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall, which has a path that trails around the waterfall for a top view.

We then headed off to Landbrotalaug Hot Springs. This is a natural hot springs that is free for anyone to take a dip, however upon arriving we found out that yet again, the internet never fails to make tiny spaces look huge. There was enough room for two people to go in at the same time, but it was cool to see that this tiny pond naturally heated from the earth without any other assistance.

The first stop on the Peninsula was the Búðakirkja, or the Black Church. I could be wrong, but I heard that this was the most photographed church in Iceland. There is a winding road leading up to the front doors surrounded my moss and lava rocks. Once we arrived, a newlywed couple stepped out with a priest! We just crashed a wedding!

We were on our way to our campsite for the night, Snorrastadir Camping. This is a horse farm where you can rent a horse to go riding, however I warn anyone who will be staying here to think twice about feeding them. We still had carrots leftover and came up to a pull off on the road leading to the farm that had about ten or fifteen horses nearby. As we stopped, all of the horses looked up at us and right away I knew that we were going to have a hard time getting out of this one. We figured that these horses are used to getting fed with all of the campers coming to stay every day and not moments later they all came over to greet us. Long story short, it took us a while to be able to get back into the car and back on the road because they had surrounded Lola wanting more carrots.

Over the course of the whole trip, we were keeping an eye on the forecast for the Northern Lights on this app called Aurora. The first week we were there, the forecast hadn’t been as great as what it usually was so we were starting to get worried that we wouldn’t see them at this point in the trip. We were hopeful though, because this horse farm was pretty far away from light pollution, and in an area where you can drive ten minutes away and be totally in the dark. We were getting Lola ready for bed, and I hopped outside to get something from the front seat as well as check to see if I could get a glimpse of them. The first thing I saw was what looked like a cloud, but with a green tint to it. Being optimistic, I walked around the corner of the barn we were parked next to and saw the grey cloud-like form fade into a bright green streak that continued on for probably miles! I ran back to Lola to tell my sister and friend that they were out, grabbed my camera and spent the next hour or so snapping photos. We had finally seen them and can check them off of our bucket list!

DAY TEN - 10/8/18

We continued our journey exploring the Snæfellsness Peninsula. We started off by venturing toward Fjöruhúsið café and around the shoreline near Gatklettur. We walked around for an hour or two taking in the amazing sights of the cliffs and the water.

After eating lunch outside at a picnic table, we headed off to Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge. This translates to Red Mountain Rift and is a natural wonder of the Snæfellsness Peninsula. We were able to hike uphill to the opening of the gorge, which ended up being a bit more of a hike than it looked from the road. To get inside, we had to walk up in a stream along with other tourists. Once we were in, there was an open area to stand to get photos, and further along there was the stream that continued up further into the gorge. There were many people trekking further, but it was not the smartest idea because of how dangerous it was, so we decided to head back once we got to this point.

After the gorge, we headed to Ytri Tunga Beach to hopefully catch a glimpse of some seals, as this was a popular spot where they hung out. Unfortunately, we were unlucky but got to enjoy one of our last moments at the shoreline.

We went back to Snorrastadir Camping to spend another night, got lucky again and saw the Northern Lights and got ready for our biggest hike the next morning.

DAY ELEVEN - 10/9/18

Coming to a close on the trip, I started to feel the post-travel blues when we left the horse farm to complete our final hike. Glymur is the second-tallest waterfall in Iceland with a hiking trail that hikes up into the snow caps of the mountain, over the waterfall and back down to the start of the trails, totaling to be about a four hour round trip.

What made this hike slightly more difficult than the others we have done were the steep inclines, the narrow trails that were most of the time right next to a cliff, and the river we had to cross twice. There was an option to stay on one side of the waterfall, but the downside to that was that you were not going to get a good view of the waterfall. Within fifteen minutes of the hike, we came to the river with no decent path to cross. In order to get to the other side we had to walk through it and get soaked. The river was about thigh deep and had a strong current to the point where we had to link arms to get every one of us across without being taken away by it. Once we were across, we took our shoes and socks off to ring them out and continued on. It took us another hour and a half to two hours to get to the snow caps and on top of the waterfall, which is 198 meters tall. We crossed the river again at the top of the drop and got over to the other side. Heading down the trail was much easier and not as nerve racking.

We finished up the hike, had some peanut butter and jelly with Lola and completed driving the entire Ring Road by heading back to Reykjavik! It was and still is such a bitter sweet feeling.

We ended up getting an Airbnb in Reykjavik to re-pack our bags, clean out Lola and clean our hiking boots before heading back to the states. This was also the first night where each of us got our own beds in eleven days rather than sharing a full-size cushion. It was such a great feeling!

DAY TWELVE - 10/10/18

The post-travel blues really set in when we checked out of our Airbnb. We spent our last day in Iceland exploring Reykjavik. We first stopped by the Grótta Island Lighthouse, went on the Sculpture and Shore Walk and continued to wander around the city.

We stopped for a pastry at Brauð & Co and a coffee at Reykjavik Roasters - Brautarholt before going to the famous Hallgrimskirkja Church. We bought tickets to go up in the clock tower and got the best view of Reykjavik! From this point, we were able to see all of the colorful buildings with the mountains and bright blue skies in the background.

Reykjavik really earned its place in my heart. Living in Chicago, I am used to seeing graffiti on buildings, but everywhere we turned there was the kind of murals you could tell that artists were commissioned to do. I found it so thrilling that this was a huge part of Reykjavik’s culture and it gave me some ideas of direction for what I want to do with my art style.

We had a night flight back to Chicago, so around 3pm we finished up our sightseeing, took Lola for a much needed wash and headed back to Lava Rental to part ways with her (another bittersweet moment). Getting through Keflavik Airport was very tedious and a long process than what we are used to, so make sure to get there at least four hours early.


As I finish up this summary post, I cannot help to have a strong feeling of nostalgia as I recall our days, and a bit of heartbreak that these adventures had to come to an end. It has been a month since we were there and I am still feeling that post-travel depression that I think will still linger for some time. Iceland was a place where I was in my element. The hikes we conquered, the waterfalls we saw, the people we met, the mountains we were surrounded by and the Northern Lights that danced all night never failed to amaze us.

To anyone who is thinking about visiting Iceland, do it. It is worth everything, and I plan to visit again for a round two someday. :)



Related Posts:

Iceland Ring Road Travel Tips

My Week In Thailand

Thailand Travel Facts & Tips

If you have any questions about our trip, feel free to ask in the comments below!

*Keep an eye out for an “Iceland: Tips and Advice” post as well as a “Packing List” Post coming soon!

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Thailand Travel Facts & Tips - A few things you should know before your arrival

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(This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission for referring you. This comes at no additional cost to you. Please note I only offer resources that I have used and strongly recommend!)

Make sure to check out my previous post, "My Week in Thailand" here!

Facts + Tips

One reason why I love to travel so much is because no matter where you go, whether it is a different city in the country you are from or somewhere on the opposite side of the world, they will always have a different way of doing things. Some of those things make sense to you right off the bat, and other things are so bizarre that you have no idea what to think of them. 

While I was in Thailand, I kept note of different facts that popped up that I knew would come in handy for others to know while planning their trip to Thailand. Here is a list of a few things that stood out to me (I will continue to add to this list as I think of more facts worth knowing, and if you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comments section at the end of this blog post):

You can't flush toilet paper down the toilet. 

This was a bit of a shocker for both Jordyn and I when we first arrived to our Airbnb, but I have heard of other countries not allowing this as well. There was a laminated manual right next to the toilet on how to use it, including the highlighted, bold, and capitalized instruction to not throw toilet paper down the toilet. Restrooms commonly have a little wastebasket with a lid right next to the toilet for you to throw used toilet paper into, as well as a hose to clean in case that is needed in certain circumstances...  

Washing hands isn't really a thing. Some bathrooms don't even have soap.

We first noticed this when we landed in Taipei for our layover. We stopped by the bathroom after landing to freshen up, and all of the women coming in to use the restroom would walk right out without washing their hands. 

One bathroom we used while we were at the White Temple in Chiang Rai didn't even have soap... so bring some hand sanitizer. :) 

The Skytrain is a great way for tourists to get around.

To be honest, if Mook wasn't with us I was most confident with getting around the city by using the Skytrain rather than taking a taxi everywhere. The public transit map was pretty simple to figure out, and the air conditioning in the train felt SO GOOD. The stops were very cool too - the ones that we saw had vendors that sold coffee and pastries, souvenirs, clothes, phone cases, jewelry, etc. 

The way that tickets work for the skytrain (if you are a tourist) is that you have to go up to the stations booth and tell the ticket person what stop you were travelling to. They would tell you the price and give you a ticket to swipe in, as well as to swipe out so you never keep the ticket. That was kind of a bummer for me because I love to keep tickets and maps of everywhere I go to put in my travel sketchbook. 

If you need to get somewhere that is an hour or so outside of the city, you can hire a driver for the day (no, it is not as expensive as you'd think).

You can either use Uber or Grab (which is also a taxi service app similar to Uber, but more popular in Bangkok) to schedule rides. Uber was pretty dodgy for me but that might have been because I turned my data off and was only using wifi for internet. 

There were two days where we had one driver for the whole day - one being in Chiang Mai when we did a whole lot of activities in one day, and the other when we went to an Island off the coast of a Thai Navy base (you can read more about that here). It ended up being a whole lot easier rather than waiting around for a car to pick us up when we knew that it would take a while for them to get to where we were. I felt a little bad though, because while we were out and about doing touristy things, the driver would stay back and wait until we were done - but it turns out to be a common thing. 

At the end of the day, it cost us around ฿3000 Baht (about $90 USD each) split between the three of us to have a driver for the entire day. Honestly, that is not bad at all and worth the money. 

There is a ฿5000 Baht ($150 USD) fine for not wearing a seatbelt in the car.

So wear your seatbelt... the traffic in Bangkok is crazy. Like NYC on steroids crazy. 

Taxi drivers are picky and sometimes refuse riders.

I am not sure exactly why taxi drivers are picky, but I think it is most likely to do with where the passengers are going. There were a few times when we wanted to hop into a cab but the driver told us to find another one. 

A lot of taxi drivers will scam tourists by charging them a flat fee rather than turning on the meter.

You can read more about our experience here in my Thailand trip summary post.  Whenever they tell you a flat fee rate before the trip, it is always a few hundred Bahts more than what the original cost will be. Make sure you tell the driver to turn on the meter, or you will find another taxi. 

There are stray dogs and cats everywhere.

It broke my heart to see all of the strays in the street, especially when it was late at night, pouring rain, and/or extremely hot and humid outside. These strays would commonly be abandoned by their owners and left at a temple so the monks could feed them. 

Yes, they are very cute but I would refrain from petting them because many strays we saw were very skittish or anxious. It is better to admire from afar rather than risk upsetting the stray and getting bitten. 

You can get a Thai massage for about $10 USD (except the good ones cost closer to $40 USD).

Thai massages are definitely a popular thing. Whenever we walked down the street in Bangkok, we would always pass a few spas that advertised Thai massages (for cheap). We were originally planning on stopping by one of the spas early on in our trip but never got the chance to. We ended up getting massages when we were in Chiang Mai at the resort we stayed at, which was one of the best decisions we made, because...

It. Was. Phenomenal.

Even though it was the first massage I've ever gotten, I knew that the bar was set high. Massages like that would easily cost $200-$300 back in the states. 

If you are a tourist, people claiming to be information guides may approach you and offer to take you all over the city. These are most likely scams.

This happened to Jordyn and I literally right after we landed in Bangkok and got through customs. As we were heading out to grab a taxi to our Airbnb, a man from the information booth approached us and asked where we were heading to. We showed him where our apartment complex was, knowing that it was going to cost somewhere around ฿300 Baht ($9 USD) according to Mook. He told us that he could get us a car for a flat rate of ฿1000 Baht ($30 USD) including the charges for tolls, so we said no and headed outside. 

At Suvarnabhumi Airport, the way you grab a cab is by taking a ticket from this machine that is outside and it will give you a number to tell you which cab to go to. There is also a sign that says you will be charged a ฿50 Baht ($1.50 USD) surcharge, plus the amount that is measured on the meter. Great, so with that in mind, we went to our cab and got into the car. After seeing where we needed to go, he called the Airbnb that we were staying at - I think to make sure we were legitimate and had a reservation (it was kind of weird). After that was settled, he told us the flat rate of ฿600 or ฿700 Baht ($18-$22 USD), to which we responded by pointing to the meter that was covered by a cloth and asked him to turn it on (he thought he was so clever...). He then started negotiating prices with us, which made it obvious that he was definitely trying to scam us. Eventually, he turned on the meter and we were on our way. So if that ever happens to you, make sure the cab drivers turn the meter on, otherwise find a different cab. It may sound like a big fuss considering that cab rides are much cheaper than ones you would take in Chicago or NYC, but it is bad for Thai tourism and it is just not right to be scammed in general no matter what the cost is. 

Food

There was A TON of food that I tried, and with Mook being a local, there were some things that she bought and made us try without telling us what it was. My suggestion is to do just that! Just be careful with the type of food you eat. Luckily, I did not end up getting sick; when I went to get my vaccinations, the doctor told me to avoid foods with uncooked vegetables, lettuce, fruit with a thin skin (apples, grapes, etc. Probably also mangoes but I had them everyday because they were the best mangoes I have ever had in my life) and DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER (however I brushed my teeth with it and I was fine). 

Here are some of the foods that we had:

  • There is street food everywhere you go (so you don't have to worry about starving)

  • Thipsamai (Restaurant): They are known for their Traditional Pad Thai and makes some of the best in the city (even Mook said that it was the best she's ever tried). Also order their orange juice that comes in a bottle. I have never tasted orange juice that was so fresh.

  • Fresh mango and sticky rice - We bought some from a street vendor in Chinatown

  • Coconut ice cream served in a coconut from a street vendor

  • MOS Burger (Fast food joint): Japanese style fast food burger (patty, cheese, special sauce that tastes like marinara, tomato). We went to the one that is in Siam Shopping Center.

  • Art Bar (I'm not sure if this is the correct name, I'm having trouble finding it online): Thom yum goong (shrimp), tom kha (coconut curry), Thai basil stir fry.

  • Khao Soi - This is a traditional northern dish that we had when we were up north in Chiang Mai.

  • Sweet snack (little tortilla shells with sweet plum and something else (maybe a vegetable?) that is shredded)

Thai Phrases

Note that this is my interpretation of how these phrases sound vs. how they are actually spelled. The majority of restaurants we ate at or stores we shopped at, the people who worked there would say 'thank you' to us in English, but we would say 'thank you' in Thai and you could tell that they really appreciated that. Personally, languages are not my strongest subjects so it took a while for me to say it right and with confidence... Mook would always yell and me to say thank you in Thai. (lol)

  • Cob-poon-ka : Thank you

  • Sa-wad-de-ka : Hello/Hi

  • Chai-ka : Yes

  • Mai-chai-ka : No

  • Suai-jung-ka : You're pretty

  • Rak-nak-joob-joob! : Love you, kiss kiss!

  • Kaw-toad-na-ka : Excuse me/Sorry

  • Aroon-sawat : Good morning

 

If you have any questions about anything that was mentioned, or anything that I didn't cover, feel free to leave me a comment below!

My Week in Thailand

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(This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of my affiliate links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission for referring you. This comes at no additional cost to you. Please note I only offer resources that I have used and strongly recommend!)

I was at work when I received a text from one of my college friends, Jordyn, asking me an abrupt question... "Do you want to go to Thailand this summer?!"

Uh... YEAH!!

I already had another big trip booked for later in the year and thought that I wouldn't get approval from work to take some more time off. The worst they could say was no, so I gave it a shot and asked... an hour later, Jordyn and I were silently screaming with joy when we both had the go-ahead from both of our companies! 

With two months to plan, we booked our flights, booked an Airbnb, and had a general outline of what we wanted to do. The reason why this trip was so abrupt is that a college friend of ours, Mook, who was an international student in the states lives in Bangkok and planned on moving out of Thailand in early 2019, so we saw it as the last opportunity to visit her while she was still living there.  

With Mook being a local, traveling with her helped us out immensely when it came to figuring out the transportation system and finding places that were not touristy. She really took the reigns on coming up with an itinerary that made sense for the amount of time we had out there and making the most of each day. With the amount of stuff we ended up doing, it felt like we were there for two weeks rather than just one.

July 10th-11th, 2018

Our flight was on Wednesday, July 11th at 12:30 am, so we left for O'Hare Airport Tuesday night at 8:00 pm.

Among my family and friends, I am known for having bad luck with flying. Anything from the kid sitting behind me kicking my seat for the entire flight to mid-flight engine failures and emergency landings in a foreign country. For the most part, our flight went smoothly. It was on time, and we ended up taking off twenty minutes before we were supposed to. The only things we encountered on the flight was a screaming/kicking child behind us, along with an older Taiwanese woman who sat next to me and told me about her life story and Taiwanese politics while my eyes couldn't stay open. 

In conclusion, there were no delays, no lost luggage, and no emergency landings. (YAY!)

Thursday, July 12th, 2018

We landed in Taipei for our layover at 4:20 am. We found some bathrooms to freshen up after the 15-hour flight, and the first thing both Jordyn and I noticed was that the Taiwanese/Thai women would not wash their hands after they were done using the restrooms. Later throughout our trip, we came to realize that that was a common thing, so if you are a germophobe, you might just have to accept the fact that washing your hands isn't really a thing there. So make sure to bring hand sanitizer with you. 😊

For the few hours we had until our next flight, we chilled out and grabbed some coffee.

Getting from the airport to our Airbnb

Our connection flight landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok around 11:30 am. Getting through customs was a breeze... getting a cab to our Airbnb wasn't so much. One thing we experienced right away was that tour guides and cab drivers would try to scam us by setting a flat rate fee of what they wanted to charge us for the ride rather than turn the meter on at the start of the trip. Luckily Mook warned us about the scammers and told us to get another cab if they refused to turn on the meter. The few cabs we took throughout the trip sometimes had a cloth covering it claiming that it was "broken"... Once they realized that we were not going to let it go, they started negotiating prices with us, which told us the meter worked just fine. (TIP: If the cab drivers won't back down, either get out of the cab and find a new one, or take a picture of their driver's information that is on display and report them. It may sound harsh but it is bad for Thai tourism and there are always more ethical ways of making extra money.)

Nonetheless, we made it safe and sound to our Airbnb and were blown away by the streets and views of Bangkok!

Our Introduction to Bangkok

We met up with Mook off of the Thong Lo stop of the Skytrain, which was where our Airbnb was located. From there, we took the train to the Siam stop to explore the area. We walked around the Siam Shopping Center and chilled out at a rooftop bar called The Escape Bangkok for some drinks. We then had some dinner at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant that I think was called Art Bar and sat towards the back of the restaurant where there was a small, charming outdoor courtyard decorated with hanging plants and outdoor seating.

Mook was in charge of ordering, so we ate Thom Yum Goong (Shrimp), Tom Kha (Coconut Curry), and Thai Basil Stir Fry. The jet lag really hit us hard by the time we got our food and I started to doze off at the dinner table...

We left the restaurant an hour or two later and looked for a cab to take us back to our Airbnb. While we were waiting in a pickup line, a tuk-tuk driver pulled up and stopped right in front of us. He noticed us, two American women, with a local so he was pushing his sales onto Mook - telling her that she needs to give us the experience of riding a tuk-tuk in downtown Bangkok! The whole time, they were bantering back and forth in Thai (Jordyn and I, of course, had no idea what they were talking about), but we could tell that Mook was showing no interest in continuing on with the conversation. This guy did not give up and eventually, Mook gave in - and well, this happened:

Friday, July 13th, 2018

We woke up at a decent hour despite the 30 hours of traveling we did the day before and the 12 hour time difference from Chicago. Around 9:00 am, we went to breakfast at the cafe attached to our Airbnb called Hands & Heart. They serve some amazing Thai style coffee and black (!!) croissants.

We then toured some temples around Bangkok, including the Grand Palace, Wat Arun Ratchawararam, and the Golden Mountain. The Grand Palace was the most strict when it came to being covered. I brought a scarf to wrap around my shoulders but that wasn't enough. A small part below my neck was showing, so the temple employees told me that I had to buy a shirt from one of the gift shops in order to enter the front gates. 

In the evening, we ventured out to Chinatown which is a whole monster of its own. We cabbed it there and the moment we stepped out of the car, it was sensory overload. People recognized Jordyn and I as Americans so they were shouting at us to come and buy their food (I think) and there were SO MANY people. If you are like me and have a personal bubble that extends at arm's length around your body, you just have to get over that because Bangkok is so populated, and people will constantly be bumping into you. 

I remember this night as the one where we ate our way through Bangkok. We enduldged in street food, including sticky rice and a few other dishes that I can't quite tell you what they were.

We also ate at a very well known restaurant called Thipsamai, which is know to have one of the best pad thai dishes in town. The restaurant has their kitchen outside on the street so people who are lining up to be seated can stand by and watch the food being cooked. 

To end our night, we experienced a bit of the nightlife of Bangkok. Again, sensory overload. There was so much going on at the same time, and when you add the jetlag on top of everything, it is so overwhelming. At one point, there were two outdoor clubs across the street competing against each other for the loudest music, vendors pushing carts down this crowded street selling food and souvenirs, a little kid kicking around a soccer ball, people getting Thai massages in lawnchairs on the side of the road, and a small dog passed out in a folding chair with his legs spread wide open for the world to see. I have never experienced anything on that level in the states before!

Saturday, July 14th, 2018

We took an 8:40 am train to another town an hour outside of the city called Ayutthaya, also known as the Ancient City. We met Mook at the train station, so Jordyn and I had to figure out how to use the subway system to get to the metro station (which turned out to be easy to navigate). When we got there, we bought some really delicious stuffed chocolate and almond cream waffles from a woman selling them at a small booth. Once we got on the train and found some seats (which was a challenge because it was first come, first serve), Mook bought a Thai tea from an older woman selling them on the train, then spilt it on Jordyn within the first ten minutes of the ride. By the end of the trip, the tea had travelled to the other side of the train car and to other passenger's feet.

That town has temples dating back as early as the 1700s! The temples we saw were Wat Mahathat, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, and Wat Yai Chai Mang Khon. We then finished up our trip with visiting some elephants and experiencing a floating market.

Sunday, July 15th, 2018

On day four, we had an 8:45 am flight from Bangkok and landed in Chiang Mai around 9:30 am. We caught a cab from the airport to take us to our resort, Panviman, that was about a 45-minute drive up into the mountains. We were all very excited considering how much cooler the temperature was and how much less populated northern Thailand is compared to Bangkok.

Once we arrived at our resort, we had an hour or so wait for our room to be ready, so we just waited by the pool. After check-in, we got settled in and caught a 4:00 pm shuttle bus to the city of Chiang Mai. We went out to eat some traditional Northern Thai food, wandered around the coffee district and stopped for some delicious dessert at Iberry.

Monday, July 16th, 2018

Day five was a very adventurous day. We went bamboo paddle boarding, hung out with more elephants, rode and operated our own "jungle coaster", ziplined, went sightseeing over mountain farms, and I experienced my very first massage... it was incredible, however the problem I have now is that it set the bar so high where I'm not sure if I will be able to have another one in the States which is just as good for the price I paid ($40 USD!!!). 

Tuesday, July 17th, 2018

We woke up and headed straight to the pool to catch some rays before catching a bus to Chiang Rai - it was about a three-hour ride that dropped us off right outside of Wat Rong Kuhn (also known as the White Temple).

This temple turned out to be the most bizarre one we saw because it was the architect's/artist's intention to make it a contemporary art exhibit in the style of a Buddhist temple. It was designed, built, and opened to visitors in 1997. At the entrance, there is a sea of hands coming out of the ground with two curved horns at the start of the bridge. Upon entering the temple, the inside looks similar to the others we previously visited. Then, we looked closer at the artwork painted on the walls; within the painting of what looked like a landscape of a city mixed with a solar system were paintings of characters from movies such as Harry Potter, Kung Fu Panda, Superman, The Minions, Angry Birds, Transformers, and so on. 

Once we were finished exploring the temple grounds, we caught a cab to go to an English style cafe called Chivit Thamma Da. We had some amazing coffee, dinner, and dessert before heading to the airport to get back to Bangkok.

Wednesday, July 18th, 2018

The last day of my trip for me was a little bittersweet. I couldn't wait to see my friends and family to tell them about my trip, start editing all of the photos I had taken as well as get some much-needed rest considering we were getting an average of 4-6 hours of sleep every night. 

On our last full day in Bangkok, we decided to make it a beach day. Waking up, we realized the forecast was calling for some showers, but it turned out to be the most beautiful day out of the whole trip. 

The beach we went to was on an island in the Gulf of Thailand. We had a driver for the day take us about two hours from Bangkok to a Royal Thai Navy Base (this was the same team that helped rescue the Thai boy's soccer team from the cave earlier in the month!). On a daily basis, the Thai Navy takes people on one of their boats to an island off the coast for some extra money. I was not at all expecting the experience that we had...

Even though the skies were clear that day, it was extremely windy and the waves were very choppy. Getting onto the boat was quite a process; between the deck and the boat was about a five-foot leap. When it was your turn to jump on the boat, four or five Navy sailors grabbed a hold of you and catapulted you on board while the boat was intensly rocking up and down. When everyone was on the boat (50+ people, most being locals), we set off for the island. What should have been a 20-minute boat ride turned into an hour because of the wind.

We finally arrived at our destination, and getting off of the boat was a bit more challenging. Mook, Jordyn and I were some of the last ones off the boat; as we stood up to get off, some crashes of waves moved the boat so both Jordyn and I went down and couldn't stand up. As we were laughing at ourselves, still struggling to get up, one of the sailors came over and grabbed both Jordyn and me by the arms, handed us over to the sailors tossing people off the boat and we stuck the landing. I am happy to announce that neither of us got seasick. 

We had a few hours to spend on the island before the last boat left for the mainland. There was a camp base area where you could rent equipment for snorkeling, canoeing, as well as general beach lounging equipment.

One other thing that was located on the island (which later came in handy for me) was a medical tent in case there were any injuries among the island's visitors. Well... twenty minutes into our beach visit, we were in the water and I stepped on a sea urchin (Uni fish). It was more painful than getting a tattoo!

It turns out that my foot will be okay. There are still needles in there as I write this, but they are working their way out and disintegrating (sorry to those who do not like feet).

Thursday, July 19th, 2018

My trip sadly came to an end, and I headed off for a full 30-ish hours of travelling back to Chicago!

In Conclusion...

For a few months before my trip, I was in a bit of a creative rut. I wasn't inspired to create and I wasn't motivated to grind at my art and photography work, but this trip really came at the perfect time for me. The thing that I love most about traveling is that you learn things that school or your job can't teach you. 

Just this one week I spent with my friends in Thailand to experience its culture was what I needed to hit the reset button. We were able to do a lot, but one week is not enough and I do plan on visiting again someday.

 

*Keep an eye out for a separate blog post for tips and resources for traveling to Thailand.

*My professional photographs will be added to my photography portfolio as well as the prints available for purchase in my shop within the next few weeks.

Stranded in Norway - My Experience Hiking to Trolltunga

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My friend and I planned a hike to Trolltunga, which is a rock in the mountains of Norway that looks like the rock in The Lion King that Rafiki stands from while he reveals Baby Simba to the tribe. And just like Simba's story, we ran into some bumps in the road (no pun intended) just like he did, but in the end, we got a happy ending.

Our first mistake was leaving at 11:00am. Take note for future reference that when you are about to go on a ten-hour hike in a country that is known for its massive mountains, leave early in the morning. Chances are that it will be a longer hike than you think. Both my friend and I are really into photography, so we stopped frequently to take pictures and also breaks which don't seem like a lot of time at the moment, but in the end, it adds up.

Our second mistake was obvious if you were to just take one look at us. The kind of hiking gear we had was suitable for the places we studied in - Barcelona and Florence. If you plan on going on this hike, you need gear for every darn season. We hiked through beautiful sunny weather, swamps, rain, lagoons, and snow.

For the average hiker, it should take about eight hours to complete this hike. It took my friend and me eight hours just to get to the rock! By the time we were there, it was about 7:00pm. In Norway at that time of year, the sun sets at about 10:00pm, but if we were to head back we wouldn't have made it in time before the sun went down. It had also started raining, which made the tracks muddy and deep to the point where it came up to our knees if we stepped in the wrong places.

Whenever I tell people this story, they always ask me if the thought of turning around and bailing on the hike cross my mind. And oh, did it cross my mind at a time a little too late - right as I was crossing a river with a waterfall and strong current I tried to convince my friend that we should turn back, but she said that there was a town on the other side of the rock we could get to. After going back and forth, I agreed to keep going and proceeded to cross the river when I then lost my footing and fell into the freezing current.

As it turned out, the town on the other side of the rock was a little further than we thought it was...

We were exhausted, freezing, soaking wet and hungry with no proper camping gear, no change of clothes and no food. I know that people have been stranded in the middle of nowhere before have survived longer than just one day, but at that point, I honestly thought we were not going to make it out of those mountains.

Somehow by the grace of whoever it is you believe in, we ran into a group of hikers that passed us about an hour prior to our fateful realization of being stranded. They were setting up camp, which at first I thought was a bad sign but it turned out to be the blessing we needed. I asked them what the chances were of us making it back to campgrounds, and they said it would be slim to none.

Fortunately, this group ended up being amazing people who opened their doors (or rather, unzipped their tents) to us, gave us warm clothes, food, and a place to sleep. There were two women who were from Bergen in Norway, one man from Milan, and two men from Little Rock, Arkansas - one of whom was doing this hike with a prosthetic leg! They said they all met on another hiking trip somewhere in Europe and really kicked it off, so they now do other hiking trips together.

My friend and I slept in a two-person tent with the two women from Bergen and their small dog. Looking back on this experience is crazy - this group of hikers just took us in and gave us the equipment and support that we needed when we were complete strangers to them - but then again, I don't think serial killers would hike Trolltunga to find their victims...

Hiking back down the mountain.

Hiking back down the mountain.

It ended up storming that night, but luckily our campsite was set up against a small cliff where we wouldn't get hit too hard. By the time we woke up the next day, the skies had cleared up a little bit with the sun peaking through, and the view we had when we walked out of our tent was the most unbelievable thing I have ever seen in my life. Moments like these are what make you realize how small you really are in the world.

The view from our campsite.

The view from our campsite.

When we all eventually got down to the start of the hike, one of the men from Little Rock came up to me and said how lucky we were that we crossed paths with them. Other scenarios that I thought of wouldn't have had a happy ending - if we were to huddle up under a rock somewhere, we wouldn't have survived the cold and if we were to continue to hike down the mountain in the pitch black with absolutely no lighting and no town nearby, we could have lost our footing and taken a nasty fall.

This terrifying reality turned into a great adventure. Looking back, if I knew what we were getting ourselves into with this hike I would have either thought twice about doing it or invested in some proper hiking gear. However, one thing that I do regret is not taking down their contact information to keep in touch with them. My hope is that sometime in the future, one of them will read this story and reach out to reconnect!