Reykjavík Grapevine - 31.07.2009, Síða 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
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Elegant surroundings
Superb cuisine
Modern comfort
28
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 11— 2009
Thumbs Up!
Hitchhiking your way through Iceland
Listen: I have never hitchhiked before
and I don’t really know what I’m doing.
In most parts of the world (especially
where I am from, Canada), hitchhiking
is a downright stupid idea that
frequently finishes with a body f loating
face down in a shallow riverbed. One
more confession: despite having spent
a cumulative month in this country, I
really haven’t been outside of Reykjavík
to see the rest of this wonderful land.
This city is awesome, but honestly, it’s
time to get the fuck out of dodge!
There are lots of modes of travelling
around here – what tourist hasn’t taken
at least one bus tour or rented a vehicle
– but for the truly frugal and car-pool
minded, hitchhiking is a viable and
recommended alternative. This is not
for everybody, of course, but if you get
off on the element of uncertainty, the
hikes through the countryside, the
potential to meet new people from all
walks of life and generally feeling like
a hobo, then you’re in luck. It’s damn
easy to do around here.
My trip came together through the
help of CouchSurfing.org, basically
the housing equivalent of hitchhiking
(I should mention that my experience
with the Icelandic couch surfing
community has on the whole been
fantastic and I strongly encourage
more people to join, host and surf).
The site hooked me up with another
young woman from Canada planning
on taking off for the same time frame
I had in mind. On June 6th, I headed
down to meet her in Selfoss and we
started our six day, counter-clockwise
trek along the Ring Road. I would now
like to share with you (in no particular
order) a few bits of wisdom and reiterate
some basic common sense that I found
to be essential while undertaking this
artful form of travelling.
1. PACk LIGHT.
Seriously. Even lighter. You are really
going to want to kill yourself a bit if
your backpack is anywhere over 10kg,
so ditch anything remotely unnecessary
(makeup, razors, bedazzled headbands),
suck it up, and hand wash your socks
every couple of nights. If you’re at a
hostel, you can spring the 500 krónur
for the use of their washing machine.
2. EVERYONE’S A FRIEND.
If you’re from North America, you know
that there is no chance in blue hell that
you would get a ride from anyone well
known. In Iceland, the odds aren’t so
unlikely. In our case, we were given
a ride by actor Ingvar E. Sigurðsson,
who has been in almost every Icelandic
movie worth watching (Devil’s Island,
Angels of the Universe, Jar City). He
was incredibly friendly, casual and like
the rest of us, wasn’t entirely sure where
he was going. The lack of movie star
attitude was pleasantly surprising and a
welcome change from North American
pop culture.
3. YOU GOTTA TAkE A STAND.
Generally I would recommend that
between rides, you keep walking,
especially if you are off the main
highway. However, some locations are
prime spots for staying put, such as
the passageways to tourist destinations
and gas stations. These spots are
especially good for the tour bus traffic
that circulates through them, and if you
catch the same luck we did, tour guides
and bus drivers will offer you cushy
rides.
4. PICk THE RIGHT TENT.
We travelled with a one person tent
that cost $15 (about 2.000 krónur). It
was very pale blue and didn’t have an
outside layer. Um, yeah. If you plan on
camping at all, you will need a tent with
three essential characteristics: 1) size;
both for the sleepers and for how small
it packs up, 2) wind resistance; because
this country has motherloving crazy
weather, and 3) colour; dark colours
absorb heat and keep your tent warmer,
and will be easier to sleep in if the
summertime night light bothers you.
5. APPLY PEER PRESSURE.
People can be very malleable,
particularly other tourists. If you share
your destination plans enthusiastically,
you may convince your drivers to
take you a bit further than they had
originally planned. This may sound
slightly manipulative, but it’s really for
the benefit of everyone trying to see the
country. You also won’t think so when
you’re faced with spending the night
in an abandoned shack by the side of
the road in the middle of nowhere. Just
saying.
6. YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY.
Hitchhiking alone in this country is
remarkably safe, so don’t shy away from
hitting the road without a partner. At
the end of our trip, my cohort and I
decided to go on separate paths and
I found that even as a solo female
traveller, there was no looming danger.
In fact, I got rides even quicker and
all from very comforting, parent-like
characters who stuffed me full of
pylsurs and candy!
7. DON’T YOU DARE CLOSE YOUR
EYES.
If it’s your first time going around the
country, don’t nap in the car. You can
sleep when you’re dead. There is too
much to see and it’s incredible how
quickly the landscape changes. You
may look down at your map for a few
moments and when you raise your
head, it looks like you’re on a different
planet. Pay attention, damnit!
Overall, I would have to say that I
was fairly lucky on my trip. We never
had to wait an egregiously long time
for a ride. We met some colourful,
interesting and unexpected characters
who taught us a few life lessons and
hopefully got some in return. We had
the pleasure of bumping into many of
the same travellers as we made our way
around the country, creating a sort of
Ring Road camaraderie and a sense of
intimacy that probably no other country
could rival. We took our time but didn’t
dawdle; we saw almost everything there
was to see along the way, and were
endlessly overwhelmed and overjoyed
by this beautiful, insane, hilarious,
confusing and disarming island.
Travel | Activities
REBECCA LOUDER
REBECCA LOUDER
Always remember: not everyone is cool.
If someone that seems decidedly uncool
offers you a ride: THINK TWICE..
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