INDONESIA
Drivinf down the ring road
A half day is sufficient to see most of Reykjavik; it’s easily navigated on foot. A fabulous new glass fronted cultural centre (the Harpa) has been built on the water’s edge with a comprehensive programme of entertainment (ranging from comedy to classical music). The shops appear to mainly sell woollens and warm clothing.
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Starting the trip
Scheduled flights at civilised times are available, but I selected the low cost option with Iceland Express, the downside being a brutal departure time of 1am from Stansted (just a few tourists, some hardy looking Icelandic natives and the cleaners in the deserted departure lounge). The plane took off in the darkness (and rain) in the middle of the night; but that was the last time that we would see the dark until the return flight a few days later.
A few years back, I was browsing for flights from Montreal to Paris, when I stumbled upon a pretty good deal. A 1 stop flight with a five-hour layover in Reykjavik. Since I wasn't in a rush, I impulsively stretched those 5 hours into three days - an unplanned detour into a city I could barely pronounce.
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Iceland, in my mind, was nothing more than a frostbitten corner of the world, until I discovered its wallet-draining abilities. Yet, this costly encounter only sharpened my appetite for its raw and beautiful landscapes.
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Two years later, I would get the opportunity to revisit. Only this time, I would have 10 days at my disposal. Armed with a rental car, my carry on filled with food and wine, and a couple of fearless comrades, we set out to loop the entire country.
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Following our airbnb hosts advice, we hopped on a bus and we set off to one of our many stops, Bandung. I'm unfortunately writing this too many years later to remember much of the details, but I remember it being a Univeristy city. Our Airbnb hosts niece took us around the city, showing us how jaywalk like a pro through 5 lanes of traffic. The following day we hopped on a small tour bus and hot to explore the tea plantations.
