Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.04.2011, Blaðsíða 31

31
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 4 — 2011
“The sun was still noticeably absent when the Australians
started clucking about fumes
in the back seat. They were
ignored initially, but soon the
smell was undeniable. i turned
around intending to give them
the stink eye, but smoke was
indeed seeping in.
Words
Morgan Levy
photography
Morgan Levy
Travel | Snowmobiling
bad Weather, fun Times
By and large I’m adverse to tourist activities. And as
someone from a more southern part of the north-
ern hemisphere, I find waking up to complete dark-
ness tough. I thought about this on a dark, dreary
winter morning, as I drove down to BSÍ to partake
in a snowmobiling tour that I had for some strange
reason volunteered to partake in.
Yet as the taillights of my ride faded the hilar-
ity of my situation became more apparent. Holding
fast to my sense of humour, I declared in an inner
monologue that this was destined to be a great day.
I shook hands with Siggi, my guide for the day, and
off we went.
Making obvious and benign jokes is a vital
part of being a good tour-guide. Siggi’s dryness
only made his sub-par jokes more laughable in my
head. However, the Australian twenty-somethings
bouncing around the back of the van seemed un-
able to discern when the joke was over. The couple
from Barcelona and the Scandinavian mother-
daughter pair didn’t have enough English to keep
up.
inSAnely cheeRfUl AUSTRAliAnS!
It was clear from the get-go that the Australians
were going to drive me insane. By 8am their cheeri-
ness had grown wings and burst through the roof
of the van. I was still in a pre-caffeine state and thus
easily agitated. When they began singing in chorus
before our first destination, I nearly told Siggi to
pull over so I could hitchhike back to Reykjavík. The
musical medley lasted the daylong and spanned
the gamut from ‘The Wheels On The Bus’ to ‘My
Girl’. Out of sheer boredom at some point I started
mentally rating their choice in song.
The sun was still noticeably absent when the
Australians started clucking about fumes in the
back seat. They were ignored initially, but soon the
smell was undeniable. I turned around intending
to give them the stink eye, but smoke was indeed
seeping in. Nordic gods had heard my prayers! The
van was breaking down. We were going back to
Reykjavík. Unfazed, Siggi got out, fixed the minor
problem, and we were on our way.
Awkwardly sliding down the icy path in Þingvel-
lir wasn’t on my agenda for the day. Rather I elected
to sit and chat with Siggi learning that he too, is a
photographer and has guided tours for four years.
After fielding my inquiries he herded everyone into
the van and drove to Geysir. The novelty of sulphur-
scented erupting water had worn off for me. So I
watched as the others recorded videos of water
exploding out of the ground.
SnoWmobile Time
Around noon it was snowmobiling time. The pros-
pect of seeing the sun had gone from slim to none
and the road slowly morphed to trenches of snow.
Despite Siggi’s proficient driving skills, the Scandi-
navian mother braced herself by nervously gripping
the window ledge. I closed my eyes and drifted in
and out of sleep while Siggi noted the unseason-
ably warm weather.
We pulled up to metal shed-like structures.
Walls of fog replaced the expansive and breath-
taking views I’d anticipated. Rain, hail and snow
fell. We were ushered into the sheds and outfitted
in snowsuits, helmets and two layers of gloves. It
would have been smart to pay closer attention dur-
ing the snowmobile demonstration, but instead I
photographed. My uneasiness on the one thousand
pound piece of machinery should have come as no
surprise. However, my confidence grew and admit-
tedly I started to enjoy myself. I was admiring the
dismal surroundings when my snowmobile abruptly
soared out of line. I reverted to a childhood memory
of bicycle brakes and gripped the handlebars tight-
er. I went only further and faster off course. Men
shouted in Icelandic. Prompted by their cries and
a realisation that I wasn’t slowing down I threw my
hands up and hoped for the best. Shortly thereafter
a young man, who I imagined was quite handsome
behind his snow goggles, rescued me.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. Two people
tipped over and I felt fortunate that I did not. The
ride on the glacier, the centrepiece and highlight
of the day, was cancelled due to bad weather and
lack of snow. If that wasn’t enough of a buzzkill, hail
started falling again, this time sharply stinging my
cheeks. Icy water pooled in the seat of my snowmo-
bile. My ass and other nether regions (not to men-
tion my hands and feet) had never experienced a
chill so frigid. Trailing the lights of the snowmobile
in front of me I had only one thought: “This is the
most masochistic thing I’ve ever done.” Upon re-
turning to civilisation (the tourist centre at Gullfoss)
I high-tailed it to the women’s bathroom to shame-
lessly defrost my derriere under the hot air of the
hand dryer.
Daylight was fading so we drove back to town.
Upon arriving the Australians thanked Siggi pro-
foundly for what they said was: “the most incred-
ible day ever.” Siggi nodded and climbed back into
the van. We were just two. He turned around and in
a moment of mutual understanding we laughed. He
apologised for the bad weather and then he drove
me home.
The tour described is called ‘Express Activity Tour With Snowmobiling’ and was graciously
provided by Mountaineers of Iceland, www.mountaineers.is. The tour takes 7-8 hours (de-
pending on season) and costs 24.500 ISK. Book online or phone +354 580 9900
... plus: annoying Australians!
Always best price online.
Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations.
www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or
travel agent for reservation.
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KEFLAVÍK
BORGARNES
STYKKISHÓLMUR
SNÆFELLSJÖKULL
DRANGAJÖKULL
FLATEY
NESKAUPSTAÐUR
BLÖNDUÓS
SIGLUFJÖRÐUR
BOLUNGARVÍK
HRÍSEY
NARSARSSUAQ
Greenland
FAROE ISLANDS
REYKJAVÍK
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
ÞÓRSHÖFN
HÚSAVÍK
GRÍMSEY
KULUSUK
Greenland
Blue Lagoon
AKRANES Geysir
Gullfoss
Jökullónið
Kárahnjúkar
Kraa
Hallormstaður
NUUK
Greenland
ILULISSAT
Greenland
www.airiceland.is
CONSTABLE POINT
Greenland