Reykjavík Grapevine - 17.07.2009, Qupperneq 40

Preserving quality
is our business
Open daily for lunch and dinners
Special off er on Monday
and Tuesday – 3 course dinner
for only 4200 ISK.
Reservation: tel. 552 5700,
e-mail: gallery@holt.is
Bergstaðastræti 37 s. 552 5700
holt@holt.is www.holt.is
Elegant surroundings
Superb cuisine
Modern comfort
28
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10— 2009
Up Shit Creek WITH a Paddle
A Day Out Rafting
If you seek wild excitement,
unjustifiable thrills and possess a
craving for the most extravagant of
adventures, then ‘RiverFun’ with
Arctic Rafting isn’t really for you –
unless you under the age of 15, have a
dodgy ticker or just beginning to gain
an interest in extreme sports.
After being picked up from the
Artic Rafting head quarters, it took
little over an hour to get to base camp
Drumbó – situated just under 100 km
from Reykjavík and a stone’s throw
away from Geysir. The landscape was
green, fresh and calm, a contrast to
my raging enthusiasm and hunger for
some water stimulation.
» RUBBER ANd BLUBBER
The wait was short and sticky; we were
soon called into the gear room to be
given the all-important debriefing.
Our mentor stood above us on a set
of stairs; his stance was firm and
reassuring as he explained what the
deal was with the equipment before
wet suits, life jackets, overalls, crash
helmets and waterproof shoes were all
distributed.
The sight of another man’s balls
was NOT the most pleasant of ways to
enter a changing room during the mad
dash of suiting up. These wet suits
(still wet) were tough enough to get on
let alone with time restrictions and a
room full of testicles.
Once we arrived at the riverbank,
a safety talk was given whilst the
numerous crewmembers pumped up
the f limsy grey rafts. These important
words were very hard to hear over the
water f low and man power. Something
about an ‘oh shit rope’ was mentioned
through the noise. Funnily enough this
‘oh shit rope’ was nicknamed the ‘oh
shit rope’ mainly because you held on
to it when you ‘oh shit yourself’ – it all
made a lot of sense by this point.
» TALLy hO!
With oars in hand, I and ten others
approached the first rapid at a mild
pace – nervous cries surrounded the
raft, mingling with bird song and
H2O. Going through the rapids
themselves was rather enjoyable,
although disappointingly, you could
count the number of rapids for the
duration of this one and a half hour
journey with one hand and a thumb.
Half way down the beautiful stretch
of Hvítá, the convoy of battered rafts
came to rest at the popular hot spot for
cliff jumping. Jumping off a 10-metre
cliff into the deep water below was
most possibly the highlight of the
voyage. When else can one leap into
the vast unknown surrounded by
f lashing lenses and gawping faces in
the West of Iceland?
» FUN ANd GAMES
Off we went again in our sizable
dinghies between the serene canyons
of Brúarhlöð. The river was still,
the scenery was breathtaking and
the company was a level below
entertaining. The conversation quickly
became dry in the water. Thankfully
our guide Siggi was at hand to shake
up things a little before we ended up
purposely drowning ourselves.
Games including ‘circle of trust’
and ‘tug of war’ provided giggles for
some and embarrassment for others.
Eventually he lost all means of sanity
and began to throw us into Hvitá – the
water was of a warmish temperature,
so it was in good taste.
Back at base camp Drumbó
we were provided with hot soup
accompanied by bread and butter
– both of which we’re gratefully
welcomed. The hot tub, lukewarm
sauna and refreshments bar were also
available if you felt like getting wet
(again), warm or even drunk. Now
after some downtime from the River
and moaning raft mates, I pondered
the name of this trip – ‘RiverFun’ was
an apt title. We did spend the last one
and a half hours on a river, and yes it
was fun.
Travel | Activities
www.arcticrafting.is
info@arcticrafting.is
+354-562-7000
JONAThAN BAkER ESq
hAiLEy LOMAN
If you seek more of an adrenaline kick
then go for ‘RiverAction’ provided by the
hospitable Arctic Rafting.
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