Saying farewell to the cold and Iceland

As when I was heading towards the airport, it was dark. Like completely dark to the point, it did not look like 7 in the morning. Had to google the local time a few times just to make sure. Thought I miscalculated the time differences. One of the biggest issues for a traveler, make sure you have a local SIM card. It changes the time on your phone automatically. Or at least, having a service plan that gives you International data. To be upfront, it’s cheaper getting a local SIM card.

The view outside of the hostel waiting for the shuttle photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I was waiting for the airport shuttle, when the sun was starting to rise. It’s still really hard to believe that I’m so far up north. I thought it would be like some parts of Alaska, where sunlight is only out for a couple of hours. However, this country only gets dark in the early morning and after 3 p m. So there’s about 5 hours of sunlight here during the winter. Which is about a few hours less sunlight than New York City in December. Iceland still amazes me.

After about 15 minutes in the cold, the airport shuttle arrived. The crazy thing about Iceland’s shuttles, they have free wifi and USB ports to charge your electronics (I was definitely not in Cuba). Sat down for the 45 minute ride to Kavilf Airport.

The sun starting to rise photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Got to the airport, passed through customs with ease. Eventually, got hungry and walked to one of the airport stores. I was talked into buying some local chocolate. I did not regret the choice. It had an interesting flavor. Imagine the sweet milky chocolate taste with a little hint of salt. It was definitely something worth remembering.

Icelandic chocolate bar photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

After some time passed, I kept thinking about my experiences in Iceland. Still surprised I haven’t came back with a cold or some flu. The fact that humans can live in such extreme temperatures, it really opens your eyes. Humans are very adaptable. From the bitter cold of Iceland to the heat of the Sahara Desert, humans will find a way to live. Im really lucky to have experienced this island all the way up North. Can’t wait to see the next country and what it had to offer.

Walking to the airplane photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

As I walked to the pathway to board the airplane, I was excited about going to my next country. It would be a complete 180. This place will be warm with a Caribbean coastline. A new experience was waiting for me. As I took my sit, I sat there in excitement. Central America, here I come!!

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

Check out our eBook “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come without breaking the bank: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe0

June 29, 2019 22

My last day in Iceland

My final full day in Iceland appeared out of nowhere. There I was, thinking I had a few more days. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Spent the night before trying to capture the northern lights. That ended up in a failure. Didn’t have the right equipment on me to take a quality photo. As seen in the picture below, the only lights my camera captured were lights made by humans.

Trying to take photo of the Northern lights photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

The morning afterwards was a little difficult to get up. I started to pack and get ready for the flight back home. Once done, I left my luggage in my rented locker and I was off to explore Iceland for a final time.

On another note, the awesome thing about Iceland is it’s features for tourists. One of those features are that most tours are at a reasonable price. Also, if you miss the Northern Lights, you have up to three years to go on the tour again. It is free and you can keep doing this until you see the natural phenomenon. Just remember the email to show the email receipt.

A small river photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Booked a last minute tour to see a few more sights around Iceland. Honestly, don’t remember what exact part of Iceland this was. Just knew it was somewhere in Southeast Iceland. Looking at the simple life of the Icelandic people, I noticed that fishing is a major part of their economy. I later learned that Iceland almost did not join the European Union. They had a fear of over-fishing from the other European members. That would cause their native fishes to go extinct. Of course, they made a deal and this freezing cold Island is now in the E.U.

Waterfalls photos courtesy of Hugo Morel

We ended up seeing more waterfalls. It’s hard to believe how many waterfalls are in Iceland. Still Iceland a has different charm to it. Most countries have big cities or human made tourist attraction. Iceland is very unlike other countries, all the tourist attractions are naturally made.

About 3 hours later, I went back to my hostel. Started exploring the surrounding areas again. Iceland is breathtaking, both with the bitter wind trying to freeze your lungs and the country’s beauty. It’s a shame that I will be leaving this behind but, this bitter cold is no joke! I will always be amazed to what this country has to offer.

Modern art of a viking ship photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

It’s hard to believe, how the Vikings used to travel around in this cold. Especially, traveling long distanced in the ocean. Iceland, I must visit you again. Next time when I come, it will definitely be during the summer time.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

Check out our e-book “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come without breaking the bank: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe0

June 15, 2019 39

A sprinkle of Icelandic folklore

I don’t usually go into depth with the local folklore of the countries I visit. However, after exploring the lava caves and learning about the elves got me interested. Especially, with the local mythology having to do with the new Marvel movies. Yes, Thor is related to this Island way up North.

Lava cave tour guide telling us about the elves photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Mythology has never been my strong point. I was always been interested in the mythological adventures and thier characters. Sadly, at a young age I was discouraged to stop reading “fairy tales.” Coming from a Christian household, anything with multiple gods was against the house rules. So, it wasn’t until I was older that I got back into reading folklore.

The awesome thing about Iceland is that it’s a Nordic country. Meaning that it’s culture is similar to Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Yes, Iceland is home to the Vikings. All Nordic cultures share the same gods before christanity arrived. Having the Marvel movies being such a dominant force in Hollywood, the god Thor came to mind.

Being the god of lighting, Thor is claimed to be the protector of humanity. There are many gods like Odin and Loki. So many movies have been made out these gods from the Pre-Christian times. I could write 100’s of posts just on this topic. However to not get off topic, I will focus more on the elves of Iceland.

Icelandic elf photo courtesy of https://www.re.is/blog/the-hidden-people-of-iceland

From what are tour guide told us, Icelanders are obsessed with elves. It’s really engraved in their culture. When something goes missing, they blame it on huldufólk or the hidden people. That’s what the people of iceland call elves.

Hidden people Photo courtesy of https://icelandictimes.com/elves-in-iceland-the-hidden-people/

According to the local folklore, elves live among humans in a parallel universe. Icelanders are told to not throw rocks in fear of hitting one of the hidden people. Some of the Icelandic people truly believe that if you anger the elves/huldufólk, they will get thier revenge on you. By casting spells, damaging your car or causing you to get into a car crash. Not the elves we probably grew up to know and love. These ones are not as kind.

Elf running away Photo courtesy of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulduf%C3%B3lk

Of course, not all Icelanders believe in this folklore. Actually, the mass majority believe the hidden people are just stories to scare children. Most believe these fairytales are used to keep children in good behavior. Looks like the locals are not fooled by the fairy dust. Our tour guide seemed to think otherwise. To me, it’s just another interesting part of the local culture.

Ps. Sorry for that random post that was untitled. Not sure why it was published. Must had a been a glitch with the wordpress application. Thank you all for the continued support!

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

June 8, 2019 18

Freezing at The Black Sand Beach of Reynisfjara, Iceland

Iceland’s most famous beach Reynisfjara. It’s nicknamed the black sand beach. Although, Iceland has several beaches with black sand. This is the one everybody talks about.

Black sand beach photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Reynisfjara is just outside of Vik. Freezing, I got out of the tour bus to see this famous beach. I wanted to see what the hype was about. Also, sitting down became a painful task. Needed to start walking around.

black sand 2 — Members of our group going next to the ocean photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

black sand 3 — Another shot of members of our group photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Once outside, I couldn’t believe how courageous some of the people that were on the tour with me. They ran towards where the waves were. Ignoring what our guide told us to void going near the ocean. I guess they thought it was the summer time and this was Miami Beach.

Another view of members in our tour group photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Even if this wasn’t a beach in the Caribbean Sea, it was still very interesting to see the black sand. The bitter wind was out control though. My hands were freezing through my gloves. It’s hard to believe people live and fish here year round. I couldn’t imagine living here. The Icelandic people are very tolerant to the cold.

Selfies of me freezing photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

I was told by family members to start taking selfies. They told me to use those photos as proof you been to the country that the photo was taken in. Of course, I did it with my own spin. For whatever reason, I decided to take my gloves off to do the peace sign for all my doubters. Sadly, I could only put up one finger due to the painfully numbing cold. Risking my health to prove naysayers wrong, sounds like a smart social media move. Everybody is doing it.

P.s. Sarcasm is used four times in this post.

black sand 5 — A view of the beach’s landscape photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

black sand 1 — Another shot of the beach’s landscape photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

As we all nearly froze ourselves, our time at Reynisfjara was nearly up. The majestic beach was going to be left behind. Our tour group ended up with a success. No one ended up frozen or taken out to sea. It was at this moment, I started to doubt if this was a smart idea. Being in Iceland during winter time near a beach, sounds like everybody’s dream. California, I miss you.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

Check out our latest e-book “How to Travel for Dirt Cheap” by Hugo Morel for ways to make your dreams of traveling come without breaking the bank: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M848M47?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420&fbclid=IwAR0_mRF-eE9tODIshljVr7CQ8h6vKT6hHn_8gZfJ94DySY1ylPO2Itu2Qe0

June 1, 2019 21

The natural beauty of Southern Iceland

The day after exploring the lava cave, I decided to take a tour of southern Iceland. Alot of people were telling me how beautiful the southern part of the island was. Everybody at my hostel was over selling me on it. Was a little suspicious about it at first. Yet, looking back, it was all worth it.

Screenshot of southern iceland in google map courtesy of Hugo Morel

A tour bus picked me up from my hostel in Reykjavík. And the two and a half hour long ride started. After a butt-numbing sit down, we got to the southern part of iceland. Our first stop was seeing an ice glacier. Like a kid about to go to the candy store, I was eagered to see this Arctic beauty.

Landscape of southern Iceland photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

When we got there, I was in complete awe. I never seen ice naturally in the color blue. Still trying to understand it. Coming for a place where it never snowed, this was something I will keep forever in my memories. As a kid, I remember we used to drive 6 hours just to see snowfall. Seeing this glacier pulled my heart strings.

Ice glacier photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

Freezing, I had to take a photo. While doing this, our tour guide gave us the history of this ice beauty. According to him, this glacier is about 20,000 years old. Sadly, climate change has been melting this majestic formation of ice. He told us that it has about 4 more years before it’s completely melted. Seeing the impact we human have towards our environment in person, really changes you. It made me want to go green and recycle as much as possible. Make sure to visit Iceland and see these ice beauties in person.

More landscape photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

We started to walk away from the glacier. Our group was walking slowly. When I wasn’t taking photos, I was talking to people on our tour. Met people from The United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. Most were friendly and others were too focused in the beautiful nature. Me, I was wondering about the person in the photo above. That right leg looks awkwardly bent. Also, that was badly executed sarcasm.

Skógafoss waterfalls photo courtesy of Hugo Morel

We later went to the waterfall called Skógafoss. I tried not to get too close. There was a lot water vaper from the falls. Had to watch it from far. Still it was very beautiful. The fact that the water has not been frozen over, still dumbfounds me. Iceland, one day I will understand your majestic nature.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

May 25, 2019 41

Exploring Iceland’s lava caves

After spending some time exploring what was near my hostel, the big event came. Today, I would be exploring a lava cave in Iceland. I was super excited and had no idea what to expect. Rented out water proof clothing because I’m not from the Arctic. So, I had no idea what to wear!

Iceland landscape just outside of Iceland’s lava cave taken by Hugo Morel

The awesome thing about Iceland is all the opportunities for tourists to see it’s natural beauty. The packages are not that expensive; however, they aren’t that cheap neither. This tour costed me about 65 usa dollars. Also, I was very much a tourist on this trip. No regerts!!

Entrance to the lava cave taken by Hugo Morel

It was about a 30 minute drive from Reykjavík. I was so excited and had no idea what to expect. When we got there, we were welcomed with a few openings that lead underground. The scenery was out of this world. Iceland’s landscape is so beautiful. Makes me not miss the city life.

My tour group taken by Hugo Morel

Once inside, you get a smell of rotten eggs. Which come from the lava that made this cave. It’s a lot warmer inside, than it is outside. I went with a group and met fellow Americans. I could tell by thier accent that they were from the south.

The lava cave’s terrian taken by Hugo Morel

The further we went into the cave, the harder it became to stand up straight. The ceiling of the cave dropped to where a normal human adult would have to crouch or crawl. With the uneven flooring, it was rough passing through. One of the Americans I met was 6 foot and 8 inches. He must had a very difficult time.

Icicles taken by Hugo Morel

Occasionally, we would get in the path of these icicles. With the fear of getting one of my eyes poked out, I never looked up. Just focused forward and backwards. It’s super crazy that I was doing this.

We went through the whole cave, up into the point where it was almost impossible for human adults to move around. From what our tour guide told us, in Icelandic culture the tunnels are known for having elves.

The exit of the ice cave taken by Hugo Morel

Learning a little about the folklore made me more interested in the topic. However, that’s another story for a future post.

More Iceland’s landscape outside of the lava cave take by Hugo Morel

Once we got of the lava cave, I was completely excused. I got my workout for the day exploring that cave. Truly an experience that I will never forget. Make sure add this adventure to your itinerary, when in Iceland.

To start your own adventures, check out the link below.

May 18, 2019 24

Going to Iceland in the winter

Yes, you read right! I went to the land of ice during winter time. This crazy kid from california went to Iceland. At least, that’s what all my family members were telling me. But hey, you can’t really blame me for jumping on 200 dollars round trip tickets.

The flight from New York City to Keflavík international airport was about 4 and a half hours. I took an overnight flight. Literally, dozed off and I was in Iceland. The flight was very smooth. It was surprising because I expected to go through snow clouds.

Google map of how far Keflavik International Airport is from Iceland’s capital

Landed in Keflavik International Airport. It is about an hour away from the capital Reykjavík. The great thing about iceland is that there are a lot of tour companies that will pick you up at the airport and drop you off at your accommodation. Their prices are reasonable and they come every hour.

Me sitting at the hostel’s main lobby taken by Hugo Morel

Once I got to my hostel, I was very interested in getting to explore Iceland. Left all my luggage in my room and it was time to see this Nordic country. There was no time to waste.

Went outside and all I could feel was the harsh cold wind. I was definitely not in California anymore. Holding up my phone and camera to take pictures was like putting dry ice on your hands. The low temperatures kept stinging my fingers. Even with all that, I made sure to take pictures for you all!

As the finger-numbing wind kept blowing, I knew I was in viking land. Can’t wait to see what this country has to offer. The adventures and the experiences that I had in this in country, will stay with me for the rest of my life. I can’t wait to share it with you all.

Thank you for reading. Much love and safe travels!

To start your own adventures, check out the link below.

May 11, 2019 33