What an intense day of traveling it has been. I woke up at 530 to catch a 630 bus to Akureyri. As early as it was, the people around me made it very pleasant. First, to my surprise, the husband (one of the hosts) was awake as I was heading out to leave me some milk and biscuits. I bid him farewell and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. He reminded me a lot of my grandfather, Vovo To. Then he wanted to drive me to the bus station, which is directly down the street. I kept saying no, but he insisted in his broken English. "I meet you with car- there" pointing to the front of the house, and then he left and went outside. It was very sweet of him to do so. After, we bid farewell once more and gave me a great big hug, wishing me well on the rest of my journey. It was such a lovely home and guesthouse. They were an amazing elderly couple filled with youth in their spirits. I enjoyed their company very much during the little time I spent at the house.
The bus driver who drove me to Husavik, was the one to drive me back to Akureyri. As we waited for more passengers that never arrived, he was telling me stories about Husavik because it is his home town. One interesting thing he shared with me is that there is an invasive species on the loose throughout Iceland that was introduced a few years ago from Europe. It is called the Lupin. It is a purple flower that was brought over for people to introduce to their rock gardens to bring color. However, they didn't realize that they shoot their seeds several meters and have been spreading like wild fire. This was very interesting to hear and to learn about, and then see for my own eyes!
After arriving in Akureyri, I took another bus to Egilsstadir where I had to catch another bus an hour later to Hofn. Very hectic, but it was wonderful seeing the Icelandic desert between Akureyri and Egilsstadir and the mountains and ocean in the fjords to Hofn. I later learned from my last bus driver to here, Hofn, that Egilsstadir is the site of the largest hydro-electric dam in Europe that was built for Alcoa and then after completion, everyone went bankrupt. Some say this is what made a huge blow to the economy and helped trigger the almost bankruptcy of Iceland. I watched a documentary about this before coming that was released this year called "Dreamland". They sacrificed and destroyed a lot of preserved natural land just for this industrial aluminum smelter. To provide jobs for everyone working on the dam, they built up so many homes and apartments so fast in order to provide for the demand. All of these habitations are now completely empty. I like to say that Iceland experienced capitalism on crack during the last decade, with this as a great example of the piece to the pie.
I have had to change my plans (it is good to be flexible!) because I found out that cage farming does not use geothermal water in its operations..whoops! So, instead of me staying in this area for another day, I have decided to go to Reykjanes one day early. This way, I can fully enjoy being within the Mid-Atlantic ridge.
Hofn seems like a nice place. I have only arrive about an hour ago. The only place I could find to stay on such short notice was a cabin within a camping area. Unfortunately, there are no bathrooms in them, and you have to pay to use the shower. To top it off, I am paying as much as I did in Husavik! Yikes! So, instead, I am going to the Hofn swimming pool to shower there and enjoy the geothermal waters. Must keep experiencing Iceland the geothermal way, even if I divert a little bit :)
Since internet is scarce. I am sitting in a restaurant having a beer in order to use it right now haha. Since I am leaving again tomorrow, another intense day of traveling. However, the bus only leaves at 10 AM, so it won't have to be as early.
Image 1: Husavik Harbor- 6 AM
Image 2: Hello and Goodbye to Akureyri Harbor
Image 3: Bus to Egilsstadir- Near Lake Myvatn, you can see the Krafla power plant in the distance, upper right hand side of the photo, look for the steeeeeam
Image 4: Icelandic desert- I have been fascinated by the pockets of green that seem to occur randomly, the water source provides a micro habitat in this desert climate
Image 5: Arriving into Hofn- The mountains' relationship to the fog is always varied depending on where you are. Here, it was fascinating to watch it creep down the mountain in bands like this
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