Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2007, Side 45

REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 04_007_TRAVEL/HITCHHIKING_9
we just stepped out in front of a car that was
coming from a side road and almost forced
him to drive us the last 10 km to Viðigerði,
where we spent the evening cooking some
food that we had picked up in Bónus in Bor-
garnes and making plans for the next day.
The manager of the place was eager to let
us in on some of the good hiking trails in
the area, but, as it turned out, the road was
more tempting, so the next day we were off
again, hitting the road around 9.
In the North Country
Generally the weather was good, which
is not necessarily a good thing when you
are hitch-hiking. People feel more sorry for
you when it is raining. But the long waits
for cars to come by are more tolerable with-
out the rain, and we had some good walks
along the open road. After hitting the road
at Viðigerði we got a ride with a man who
sold paint and he took us over the mountain
and down into Skagafjörður, where we got
postcards and some tooth-breaking Icelan-
dic candy.
In Skagafjörður we waited for so long
that we actually went and checked the bus
schedule. But in the end we did get a ride
with two Austrians who were heading to
Akureyri. Having arrived happily in Akurey-
ri we took time for some sightseeing (the
church) and then hit the road again.
Our first ride out of Akureyri was only
going to the other side of Eyjafjörður, but
there we met our Austrian travelling com-
panions again, got a look at Goðafoss too
and arrived at our destination for the night:
Skútustaðir on the south shores of Mývatn.
We took a walk on the pseudo craters,
which were formed when lava flowed over
the wetlands, making the water in the soil
boil and making the overflowing lava ex-
plode to form these moonlike hills, where
the sheep now graze like nothing could rock
their world in this dusky last light of day.
Appreciate the Toilet
Next morning was quiet on the road be-
tween Skútustaðir and Reykjahlið, but the
rock formations next to the road are amaz-
ing, the sun was shining, and the hard sticky
candy tasted better and better. We hitched
a ride the last few kilometres to Reykjahlíð
with an older farmer, who insulted our
Canadian by introducing her as American
when he made a stop to introduce us to
some locals.
Reduced to foot soldiers again, we
walked past the now closed silica factory.
And then, as we were giving up, another
driver actually stopped and offered us a
ride. He was a Nigerian/British engineer,
who had driven across the highlands alone
and was on his way to see Dettifoss. He then
planned to turn back and head for Reykjavík
the short way on the good road.
Before he got far we urged him to stop
and take a look at the geothermal area
around Námafjall where bubbling mud pots
spew a foul sulphur smell over the area, be-
fore driving onto the long and bumpy road
to Dettifoss. Driving through this waste-
land we were getting closer and closer to
the damp cloud coming from the waterfall.
Our driver explained his familiarity with dirt
roads from his home country and we were
not worried, but rather car sick. I was re-
lieved when we arrived at the parking lot
and saw a toilet there, only to have my
hopes crushed when the hut turned out
to be locked. To whom do I talk to get the
keys? No one was there and there were no
trees anywhere nearby to hide behind.
Dettifoss is amazing though, the walk
from the parking lot to the waterfall took us
over these fantastic, huge basalt columns,
upwards of one metre in diameter. Truly like
being on another planet. The waterfall is gi-
gantic and violent. Stripped of tourist glam-
our on this cloudy day it was just a massive
experience. I just wish that the toilet had
been open.
Influencing / Manipulating?
The bumpy ride back to the ring road al-
lowed the Canadian to start influencing our
ride properly. Our driver had told us that
he had just rented a car for two days and
hoped to make it through the highlands and
back to Reykjavík in that time. As it turned
out there was a lot of things he did not have
time to see, and the Canadian was quick to
tell him about the wonders of the south
coast. So, when we got back into mobile-
phone range, he called the car rental to ex-
tend his lease another day and we headed
east hoping to reach Höfn before sundown.
It was almost too easy. We could not believe
our luck.
We had some food in Egilsstaðir and
enjoyed a postcard view of Berufjörður at
sunset, then drove along the steep cliffs
around the horn until we, just before it got
very very dark, saw the lights of Höfn show
up on the plains below us. We got settled
in a guest house, and had, for the first time,
company at the accommodation. An Irish
couple were staying in the same place, but
still, there was plenty of room for all.
Next morning we took some time to look
around Höfn, especially the harbour and
the charming fishing boat turned into a bar.
Around 10 we rejoined our ride at the guest
house and hit the road. The weather was
greyish and foggy, but when we arrived at
Jökulsárlón the fog made the icebergs look
even more ghostly and gave the scenery an
otherworldly feel. Then we drove up to the
Sólheimarjökull outlet of Mýrdalsjökull for a
little close encounter with a real glacier and
had time to see the beautiful waterfalls on
the south coast as well. We were back in
Reykjavík in the darkness around 8pm Fri-
day.
Big thanks to Tunde for giving us a long
ride and thanks to everyone else who picked
us up.
Fly and discover
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