The Golden Circle... Part 2 (Gulfoss)

From the lava field, we had a 1 hour, 45 minute drive to our next stop. Gulfoss.

Gulfoss is Iceland's most popular waterfall. There are approximately 7000 waterfalls in Iceland. And those are only the ones that have names. Everywhere you turn, there is a waterfall. Big and small.

The biggest is called Dettifoss and it was featured in the opening scene of the movie "Prometheus". It's located in northern Iceland. An area that is largely cut off right now due to snow.

I would love to return to Iceland and see Dettifoss in the future but right now, I had to settle for Gulfoss. I think I can live with that. 

That's not too shabby huh? It's arguably not even my favorite waterfall I've seen here...

We ate lunch at the Gulfoss Cafe and had the wonderful lamp soup Iceland is known for. I'm going to have to Google a recipe for it, because it's really, really good. It seems very basic. Lamb and vegetables in broth. But it's really filling and tasty. They serve it with warm bread and it's a perfect lunch after being cold all day long. After lunch and the waterfall, we packed it up again for our next stop that's just right down the road. Geysir. 

The Golden Circle (not to be confused with The Golden Triangle) Part 1

Day 1, 8 days remaining

For my first 3 days in Iceland, I booked a total of 3 different tours. All with a company called Arctic Adventures. I chose them because the group size is smaller than most. Max of 8-12. The first one was called "The Golden Grand Slam". There is a region here called the Golden Circle. It is a loop from Reykjavic out to Gulfoss falls, to Geysir, then to the Pengvellir National Park and back to Reykjavic. It's about 4 hours of driving time total.

I was picked up around 9:30am and our guide informed us that we would be doing the route backwards from most companies so to avoid the logjam of people at the very beginning. It meant that we could be doing the lava tube caving first.

A lava tube cave is created when molten lava flows over a cold area. The top hardens while the lava stream continues to flow below. Eventually, it creates a whole cave system.

We drove out into the middle of nowhere. It truly was. We ended up in a 700 year old snow covered lava field. I'll get to the lava fields in Iceland later but they are mind blowing. They go on for as far as the eye can see and the island is covered with them.

There is a lava tube cave out there somewhere. This lava came from the peak that's in the distance right in the middle of the picture. 

There it is. Caving is not for the fat or tall. IE, me. 

This is the remains of a poor lamb who must have wandered in and gotten lost in the dark

It's quite beautiful

At one point, our guide had all of us turn off our headlamps and we were sitting in complete darkness. It's pretty scary to think if you lost your light, you'd end up the same as that poor lamb. There is no way you'd ever be able to navigate without a light. He the made it worse by asking us a single, hypothetical question.

"What would be worse? To turn our lights back on and discover someone was missing from the group? Or turn our lights back on and discover there was someone with us who wasn't in the group before?"

Needless to say, we all took a few extra seconds to turn our lights back on, not wanting to face this situation. 

Caving is not for the tall or fat. Unfortunately, I'm both. Thankfully, they provide a helmet with headlamp because I was knocking my head against the roof every other second. My head would have been a battered pulp by the time I was done without it. Several times, we had to get on our hands and knees and crawl. The surface isn't exactly soft and my knees show the bruises to prove it. One time, we had to get on our bellies and alligator crawl. That's when you get on your belly, but your arms out to your sides like an alligator, push yourself a few inches off the ground, and waddle. It's not easy. Especially over rough surfaces. But it was darn good fun. After an hour in the cave, we went back to the van and departed for our next stop, Gulfoss. 

[I]ndia and [I]celand

The similarities stop with the first letter. 

Actually, that's not entirely true. They stop with the first letter and the 2 pronged electric plug. They stop after that. I promise. 

I landed in Reykjavic at 8:30am GMT (which is 1:30am PST if you care). The captain's announcement welcomed us to Iceland, told us how to catch connecting flights if necessary, wished the rest of us a pleasant stay, and said it was 27 degrees outside... then said we would have to exit the aircraft and walk outside to get to the terminal. A collective gasp came from the cabin since 99% of the people on the plane were NOT staying in Iceland, but rather just passing through. The couple next to me were on their way to Frankfurt, Germany. But to be honest, it wasn't that bad. It hits you when you walk out, but since there wasn't much wind, it didn't feel that cold. I've been colder. 

Reykjavic central is about 45 minutes from the airport so I boarded my pre-arranged bus to take me to my hotel. We were leaving the airport at about 9:30am so we surely would be heading into morning traffic right? Uhhh, no. Reykjavic has a population of about 150,000 people. Iceland as a whole has a population of about 230,000 (goes to show you how many people live outside of the city). I've been told that outside of the city, you can go 2-3 hours at a time without seeing anyone. That might sound lonely, but after India, that sounds awesome. I've also been told that there are more sheep in Iceland than people. (BTW, it's snowing right now. Weeee!) To compare, Bangalore alone had a population of 8,000,000. Delhi has a population of over 22,000,000 and India has a population of 1,300,000,000. Only 300,000 less than China. 

Right away, things I like about Iceland...

- The sunrise. Literally looked like a Bob Ross painting. (Happy little clouds!)

- The airport. It's like a giant Ikea. 

- Immigration. Took about 6 seconds. 

- The roads. Beautifully paved and arrow straight. 

- The traffic. There is none. 

- The people. They might not be bad looking. 

Things I don't like about Iceland...

- Roundabouts. I might have trouble with those. Ask Erika.

- The temperature. I only say that since I'm still nice and tanned from India where it was 93 degrees when I left. 

Tomorrow I'm taking a hike on a glacier and ice climbing, exploring lava tube ice caves, and tomorrow night, going in search of the Aurora Borealis. Not bad for my first full day with 11 more to follow. 

Leaving in 9 hours. Possible.

I'm taking a break from packing, which I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that I hate. I can't believe that it is actually time to leave. Has it really been 2 months? Time truly flies by when you're in the midst of things. I still remember the day I received the e-mail asking if I was "interested in a special project that might required travel?" I was sick as a dog at home and my reply was something along the lines of "Durrrr... YES. Don't care where. Don't care when. Don't care for how long. Sign me up".

I distinctly remembering thinking "It can't be India. Ed is already there and has been there for 2 weeks already. Why would they need me to go to India?" 

 D'OH!!!

I got the fateful call later that day and the rest is history. It really is now. I would have said yes regardless but this experience has been one of the best of my life. Have met some truly amazing people, have experienced frustration unlike any I've ever experienced. Now not only can I say I've worked internationally, but can also say I've lived internationally. In India no less. 

I also only experienced 1 bout of the dreaded "Delhi Belly" and it was my own fault due to being careless. I had breakfast downstairs in my hotel, was tired and hungry on a Sunday morning. It was the morning after the ridiculously long drive to Ooty and back and I drank the glass of water the waiter served me from his pitcher. Ironically it was also a day after I posted that I hadn't gotten sick yet.  Big time jinx. Let's just say that night I didn't sleep much. Thank you lord for Immodium and antibiotics. My friend Lisako suggested I take the antibiotics right away so I did and it only lasted 1 day. 

I was involved in 2 car accidents. Only 1 involving another vehicle. The first was my little old driver in Sri Lanka drove into a pile of paving stones. I don't know how he didn't see it and I even told him to watch out and he drove into it anyway. The workers who were setting them down had the most confused look on their faces. I'm sure they were thinking the same thing. The second was my god-awful driver who drove me back to Cochin from Alleppey backed into a motorcyclist. He was by FAR my worst driver here. Full of road rage and attitude. He actually rubbed a few buses but didn't stop. Though neither did the bus. His method of driving was to try to force his way into spots even if there was a car or bus there. The car would give in 50% of the time. The bus, not so much. But he tried anyway. Then you hear the sound of scraping and the car slightly rocks. Then he'd back off. He was taking me to the airport and instead I asked him to take me to the Courtyard Marriott which is like 200 yards from the airport. I had 7 hours to kill so wanted to see if I could get a room for a few hours to use the shower and take a nap since I hadn't taken a shower in two days on the jetty. Well, he passed the hotel so I told him he missed it and he needed to go back. Instead of finding the first u-turn, he did what sadly a lot of drivers here do. He proceeded to put the car in reverse and start backing up on the 1 way road. He was half on the shoulder and half on the left hand lane. There was a motorcycle on the shoulder who was waiting to make a right hand turn (mind you they drive on the left so to make a right hand turn, you need to cross the lane of oncoming traffic). So he just proceeded to back into him and knock him over. He got out, they talked (loudly and aggressively). I started to get nervous since a crowd started to gather around the car. Then he got back in, kept backing up until he found a spot to make a u-turn and took me to the hotel. All the while complaining that "He saw me coming. He should have moved." I said "that doesn't mean you hit him!" He just looked at me and shrugged. Complete asshole. I didn't give him a tip even thought the drive was over 2 hours. F that guy. 

I visited 3 countries (India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal) while here. I saw 7 cities in 2 countries in 7 days. Believe me when I say I don't recommend that. I felt like I was on "The Amazing Race". So Exhausting. 

I've developed an obsession with disposable hotel slippers. I may or may not have 4 pairs. All different. All awesome. 

I'm bringing home 70 blue elephants (for my team), 15 Nepalese cashmere pashminas, a set of silk Indian outfits for my nieces, 3 sapphires from Sri Lanka, a Tibetan art drawing, and a whole suitcase of other gifts. Yet, I'm still able to pack everything I originally brought. Sans my flip flops and Pumas that I'm going to throw out here and a pair of jeans that finally saw it's end in Nepal. 

I horribly overpacked. 4 sweatshirts (wore 2), 3 pairs of shoes (wore 2), 2 pairs of flip flops (wore 1). 2 pairs of khakis (wore 1). Pair of warmups (didn't wear since I also had sweat pants). T-shirts, socks, and underwear were fine, but the sweatshirts were a waste of space. Too much sunscreen (didn't need it). Travel pillow (haven't used it). Flashlight (haven't used it and when I needed it, didn't have it with me) I need to learn to pack more efficiently. 

There is so much more that I'm sure I'll remember over the next 24 hours (the time it's going to take me to get back to San Francisco), and I'll continue this blog through my next trip to Iceland that starts on the 26th but man, what an adventure. 

"The Truth About Travelers"

This is a must read.

It's one of the most eloquently written articles I've ever read and it describes perfectly the mentality and motivations of people who love to travel.

She also has some amazing posts on her blog so definitely check it out. 

1 week left? Impossible.

I find it hard to believe that I only have 1 week left until I return home. Has it really been 8 weeks already?

When I talk to my friends back home they say it feels like it's been forever since I left but here and they all ask "when are you coming home?" But here, it feels like I just arrived.

- I remember that first day when I went to the wrong office as if it was yesterday.
- I remember thinking "what did I get myself into" as I walked absentmindedly trying to find a taxi.
- I remember waking up for that first week knowing I was going to be sitting in traffic for 60-90 minutes to get to work and 90-120 minutes going back and wanting to be back home where it still takes me 30 minutes to go 6 miles but I was in control.
- I remember flying to Sri Lanka my 3rd weekend in India and being so frustrated with the process of 3rd world traveling that I told myself I was going to eat the costs of my other airline tickets that I had purchased and not leave my hotel.

Then I said F that. I'm here to do something special.

I found that ever elusive grocery store. It's about half a mile from my current hotel and I've walked down twice. It's next to a KFC which is also convenient if I want to get a quick bite.

I found a place to get my haircut. Granted, it's at the Park Plaza hotel spa but it's only a mile from my hotel. There is a "local" place across the street but I was advised not to go there by the front desk. "Not very hygenic" was the description they used. Noted.

According to my Fitbit, since I've arrived, I've taken 296,046 steps and walked 139.63 miles.

I've achieved what I was sent her to do for work. Got my team comfortable and confident with the tool we've assigned them to use. Just today we made the decision to integrate them back into the old support queue managed from Mountain View and relive me of those support duties. I feel like a proud papa.

I've met some truly amazing people. From my loyal and reliable driver Guri, to the team I'm supporting and other people in the office that I laugh with daily, to the staff at my hotel, to the incredible guides that have showed me some of India's magnificent sights and made me want to Google the shit out of the country every chance I get.

Most of all, I feel like I've earned my place in this country and this company. The future remains unknown but a fellow manager today said "they better convert your ass" when she found out I was not an employee and only a contractor. Regardless, I'm proud of what I've done for myself and my team and will walk away with my head held high, as I always do.

India, it took some time to get comfortable with you, but I've grown to love you and I know there is a lot that I have yet to see and experience (I'm going to miss Holi by 3 fricking days. That would have been awesome).

I will be back. 

I'm pretty close to both...