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Last Day of Work :(

shilpikumar:

Today is our last day of work at the UN Women office! Beth and I have had such a wonderful time getting to know the women who work here. Inga, Hanna, and Alfheiður are inspiring and passionate and I have learned so much from being around them this summer. I’m definitely going to miss seeing them everyday! 

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Our final adventure day in Iceland

With a slow final work week and a gloomy forecast for the our rest of the time in Iceland, I have decided the best thing to do is reminisce about last weekend's whitewater rafting and atving (quad biking) adventure.

Shilpi and I decided our last full weekend should include a unique activity, and after looking online at some options (snorkeling, hiking, relaxing), we decided on a full day adventure tour. 

We were picked up at hotel klopp (our pseudo-residence for pickup and drop off for tours) a tad past 930 and traveled roughly 30 minutes to the outskirts of Reykjavik. Our driver and subsequent ATV guide still seemed quite drunk from the night before, and we agreed that this was going to be quite a ride. Originally, Shilpi and i were supposed to share an ATV, but the guide kindly (drunkenly) decided that we should each have our own. 

The ATV (quad bike) reminded me of a snow-mobile or jet ski, but without the safety of the water or snow. If you fall on an ATV, you will slam into rocky, bumpy terrain. A little bit of anxiety never hurt anyone I suppose, so we got on and rode. The hour long lava field ride was pretty amazing. We ran over huge boulders, went through tons of dirt, and stopped a few times to take in the magnificent views. 

The only downside to the ATV: my small hands. My fingers cramped when trying to accelerate (the handlebars and clutch were meant for slightly larger hands) and I looked like an idiot, constantly stopping and going. With that said, the ATV was an awesome experience and I am very glad we decided to explore the lava fields in such an unconventional way. 

After grabbing a bite to eat, we were then picked up by the same company to go white water-rafting about an hour further outside the city. When we arrived at the adorable hut in the middle of the countryside, we were quickly briefed on paddling procedures and then got dressed in our wet gear. We went on another 10 minute busride to the river and were loaded on our rafts. Our guide, Louise, was the best guide. We did 360 turns, jumped over rapids, and played ridiculous games which all involved people falling out of the raft. Shilpi also jumped into the water from about 4-5m above the water. Unfortunately, because it was whitewater rafting and my camera is not waterproof, photos could not capture the event, but let me just say it was a ton of fun.

After returning from the water, we showered off, hopped in the sauna to warm up from the chilly 7 degree Celsius water, and then grabbed dinner at the rafting hut. The day was a great way to see Iceland in a more active way. I only hope that the work week picks up for our last few days. I still cannot believe that we will be returning to America on Sunday!

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Hiking pictures :)

shilpikumar:

That time we climbed a mountain and almost died

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Hiking in Grundarfjordur

After picking up Shilpi’s sister and mom from horseback riding, we went to the tourist office in nearby Gundarfjordur to figure out what to do with a few hours. We were hoping to go on a 2-3 hour hike, and the lady at the desk assured us that we were in luck. There was a 2-3 hour hike up a mountain with beautiful views, but we would need a guide. A guide in Iceland should have been a red flag for the intensity of the hike: we have never been required to have a guide when hiking. Through our monsoon in Westmann or our waterfall excursions, we were always allowed to travel alone. Need a guide? Sure, why not!

We met the guide at the base of the mountain, a scruffy man smoking a cigarette. He then pointed to where we would hike – 464 m above with shooting cliffs and birds flying overhead.

All five of us started out on the hike and soon realized that this mountain had no trails. We were legitimately scaling rocks, jumping over loose rock, and sliding between crevices.  Shilpi’s mom stopped after 45 minutes and Shilpi’s father continued a bit further, but stopped when we approached the three sets of ropes.

  The ropes were tied around heavy rocks and were necessary to get up some of the cliffs. Basically we were rock climbing without any harnesses. We finally approached the summit of the mountain after 2.5 hours (so much for the 2-3 hour hike).

We (Shilpi, Nishi, and I) stayed on the summit for about 45 minutes, snapping some pictures and taking in the view.

I also ventured out with our nonchalant guide to explore the fox cave on the summit. I suppose I was stupid enough to believe the guide when he said not to worry. Our guide proceeded to try and scare the foxes out of their den and taunted them with dead birds.

Things I got from my exploration with our guide:

1. Fox dens have many escape roots – I learned later that I was standing in front of one of them, thank goodness the fox didn’t escape using that hole

2. Our guide has an affinity for dead birds – he enjoyed playing with them and rewarded me for my “bravery” with a dead bird carcass. The gesture was obviously appreciated, but I gave him the carcass back at the end of the trip to give to his younger son.

3. Arctic foxes are about the size of cats

  We began our descent, planning to pick up Shilpi’s father and mother up where we left them on our way up. Because we spent more time on the mountain than planned, Shilpi’s father got worried that we were in trouble and attempted to go down the mountain by himself. Meanwhile Shilpi’s mom got down the mountain and walked into town, got a hold of the information lady, and called our guide from the office to assure that we were okay. We were in fact okay, besides the fact that we had to repel down the cliffs we had climbed, a scary venture indeed. After a total of 4 hours, we finally got down the mountain and breathed a long sigh of relief. A very eventful hike worthy of a late lunch and ice cream.

We continued our trip around Snæfellsnes, taking a walk along the coast from Hellnar to Arnarstapi, and finally arrived back in Reykjavik around 11 pm. We had a late but delicious dinner at Tapas and called it a night after that. All in all, our second trip to Snæfellsnes gave us a day of great adventure and gave the Kumars a nice introduction to the Icelandic version of hiking. 

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An Action Packed Week with the Kumars

This past week has been jam-packed with excitement and activity. After our tour of Reykjavik last Saturday, we did a self-drive tour of the golden circle. The Golden circle, comprised of the Þingveliir National Park, Gulfoss waterfall, and Geysir, is a nice and quick way of seeing the diverse landscape of Iceland. A late lunch was followed by an even later dinner at the Seafood grill, a perfect way to end our long day.

Monday, Shilpi and I returned to work while the Kumars traveled to the south coast. At work, Shilpi and I are now working on the final report for our Sisterhood fundraising event,as well as outlining and analyzing the current status of the Millennium Development Goals, as they pertain to women's status globally. We met up after work for a late dinner with Kumars and called it an earlier night.

Tuesday and Wednesday, Shilpi and I continued the 10-5 workgrind, while the Kumars continued their travels to the Westfjords. I am so glad that Shilpi and I were able to take a trip to the Westfjords, as we were able to share information about this great place and convince the Kumars to go after their travels were disrupted. 

Quick side note: A bridge on Iceland's main Ring Road was broken and swept away due to a glacial flood. probably from the volcano Katla in Mýrdalsjökul. All travelers who were planning on touring the whole country on this road have been rerouted (hard to do when the country only has one main road) or can pay a fee to have their cars carried over the water. Oh Iceland, how your weather and natural processes confuse me...

Shilpi and I ended our work week on Wednesday with a fun happy hour with our bosses. We then caught an 8 am bus the next morning to meet up with the Kumars on Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Shilpi's mom and sister were riding horses when we arrived so we picked them up and continued driving along the peninsula, stopping in Grundarfjordur for what the info office said, would be a fun 2-3 hour hike.The hike will require its own post, so read on for an exhilarating and anxiety-provoking account of our adventures. 

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A Week in Review and the Kumars arrive!

This past week started off with a small virus and ended spendidly. I was stuck in bed for 3 days (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), staring at a lovely white wall, with a small bug of sorts. Luckily, I managed to get over it in time and went to work Thursday and Friday. Overall, the weather in Reykjavik has been BEAUTIFUL. Sunny, blue skies with little wind. Just perfect weather for sitting outside and reading a book or people-watching at a cafe.

Highlight of the week: The Kumars arriving on Saturday morning. It was so nice to show them around our "temporary" home and walk through the streets with some knowledge of the area and a beautiful sunny day to showcase the harbor. 

Saturday morning also brought with it some new guests in our apartment. We awoke to 5 mattresses in our living room full of sleeping volunteers. Yay for surprises.

Returning to the Kumars, we greeted them at the hotel and proceeded to walk around the city for a few hours, stopping for some coffee, ice cream, and lunch along the way. After they retired to their room at 2 pm for a quick nap, Shilpi and I walked over to an African-themed festival in a graffiti park close to our house. Because of the amazing weather and wonderful music and crafts, the park was completely packed! The African Day was run by Worldwide Friends, the volunteer organization where we are living. It was nice to see some familiar faces from Worldwide Friends, as well as some friends from our work at UN Women.

We then met the Kumars at their hotel and walked through the city some more before heading over to Tryggvi and Vega's home for some wine and cheese. Mr. Kumar and Tryggvi have a mutual friend (mutual friend may be a tad too simplistic of a term, but I don't know how else to explain), and so in typical gregarious Icelandic fashion, we were invited to their home. Tryggvi and Vega were so nice, their home was lovely, and their friends were interesting and plentiful. It was a great and relaxing meet and greet.

We had a late dinner at a wonderful indian restaurant, Austur Indíafélagið, regarded as one of the top Indian restaurants not only in Iceland, but in all of Europe. As I was not sure what many things were on the menu, I was relieved when Ms. Kumar ordered for the whole group, and the food was delicious! 

All in all, Saturday was a great day to introduce others to the city and remind ourselves of the beauty of endless sun in Reykjavik. More to come about Sunday adventures and pictures soon!

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shilpikumar:

Beth has been feeling under the weather this week and I just want her to get better! It a little sad to be at work alone and know that she is at home by herself. I’m beginning to realize just how much time we usually spent together.

As of tomorrow, we’ve been in Iceland for 6 weeks. Time really...

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Blog post about our weekend adventure according to Shilpi!

shilpikumar:

In Iceland, the minimum age to rent a car (and drink legally) is 20, giving Beth and I the wonderful opportunity to see the Westfjords on a good old-fashioned road trip. Friday afternoon, we left a rainy Reykjavík and a busy week in the UN Women office behind for a solid 6 hour drive North....

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And We're off to the Westfjords!

This week has flown! Overall, just a typical work week with with a thrown in day off for good weather (our bosses rock!). Basically, the weather was beautiful and our boss kindly told us "take the day off, the weather is generally not this good." Translation: lunch on a sun drenched patio and lots of time to read! Other highlights this week:

-Generally sunny weather (though it is raining now)

-Lunch to say goodbye to one of our bosses, Inga (she is getting married and taking off from work to go to Mexico)

-Remembering that I am Iceland

Shilpi and I plan on renting a car (you only have to 20 to rent a car in Iceland) and are off to the Westfjords this weekend. On our agenda:

-See amazing bird cliffs on the westernmost part of Iceland

-Hike along the Dynjandi Waterfall 

-Stay in some adorable farm houses

-Avoid roads that are unpaved 

-Relax 

-Kayak or go on a boat tour around the fjords (especially to eastern fjords, where there are no roads for cars)

I will update at the end of the weekend with pictures and a more complete itinerary of what we actually ended up doing. Regardless, this weekend will definitely be an adventure, and I am oh so excited for epic roadtrip CDs!

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Highlights from the week and weekend number 5!

My posts are now somehow a week behind:( With my parents visiting and an overall busy work week and weekend, I guess time flies. Sorry for the insanely long catch-up session which is about to ensue.

After our long weekend with the Gordons (see former posts for more details), Shilpi and I returned to work on Tuesday while my parents relaxed at the Blue Lagoon Pool. We met up after work with the ‘rents and enjoyed some delicious food at the Seafood grill, followed by a tiring shopping trip for gifts. To those receiving gifts from my parents, please be gracious. My mother and father aimlessly walked the streets of Reykjavik for two days finding these gems, so at least pretend to like them. To those of you who did not receive a gift, well then this is just awkward.

Wednesday began another day at work, running errands and organizing our boss’s thoughts into a coherent and cohesive outline to present to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We met up with my parents after their trip to the Snæfelsness Peninsula and returned to the Sea Baron restaurant for some delicious skewers of fresh fish and lobster soup.

  It was definitely sad to see my parents leave early Thursday morning: they were great guests and a lot of fun to show around. It was the first time that I felt that Reykjavik was more than a vacation for me, it was “my city.” Heading to work Thursday, Shilpi and I continued our work on the Butterfly campaign as well as the Flying Effect effort (see theflyingeffect.com for details).

  In addition to our usual duties, we also began planning a fun activity for the group of 8 young street workers. Asking for donations on the street can be tiring to say the least, so our job was to help rev up the morale of the group. We decided on a casual barbeque after work on Friday, and then headed home for the day, making a quick dinner and relaxing.

  Friday at work was filled with things to do, as we had to prepare for our barbecue that night. In addition, Shilpi and I got into a heated foosball match with our bosses. They ended up winning in a last minute shot, but Shilpi and I are determined to win the next tournament.

  The barbecue friday night turned out to be a really fun event. We were able to socialize with all of the workers and just have a good time grilling and talking. Playing games such as thumper as well as the human knot really created an easy-going atmosphere. I am so very glad to be a part of an organization with such fun and lively individuals. We had an early night, as our weekend was jampacked with things to do!

  Saturday we woke up and rode a ferry over to Viðey Island, a small Island off of Reykjavik´s main harbor. The island was stunning and this weekend was a family festival, so there were lots of people camping and playing games.

The Island used to be inhabited by 130 people until the 1930s, when the Island´s main industry of fishing and fish oil production was transferred to the main harbor in Reykjavik.

The island features Yoko Ono´s Imagine Peace tower, a light tower dedicated to John Lennon and his hope for world peace. After walking around for about 2-3 hours, we headed back to Reyjavik´s mainland and grabbed a late lunch.

  We then set out to do the impossible: laundry. Shilpi and I have been living out of suitcases for the past month and after weekend’s full of hiking, our clothes were in definite need of a rinse. The only problem: Reykjavik lacks public laundry facilities. We found one in the basement our trustworthy café, aptly named The Laundromat Café, and camped out in the café for 4 hours while we did a few loads.

Our friend Rodrigo, as well as some new friends Sam and Brian, joined us at the Laundromat café to celebrate Rodrigo’s birthday! We definitely enjoyed the company and are glad that they came to Reykjavik for the weekend to hang out and party for his birthday J We returned to our apartment and quickly fell asleep, as we had to wake up at 5:30 am for our trip to the North the following day.

(Pictures for Sunday will be uploaded soon!)

5:30 am came way too quickly. We geared up in our warm wear and walked to the Reykjavik Domestic Airport to catch our 7:30 am flight to Akureyri, a major town in the North of Iceland. The airport had no security and one major gate for departures. They barely even checked my license to ensure that I was in fact Beth Gordon (Oh how trustworthy these Icelanders are).

Arriving at 8:10 am, we quickly loaded up on bus and started our tour, which lasted until 6pm. We visited absolutely everywhere in the North: Lake Myvatn, pseudo craters, the Vatnajökull National Park, Dettifoss (the most impressive waterfall in Europe), Viti (a crater filled with water) some hiking trails in Ásbyrgi and Vesturland, and the whale-watching capital of the North, Husavik. All in all, the tour was tiring, but definitely worth it. We hiked all day, became close with four other travelers, and enjoyed the green terrain of the north. The weather was surprisingly warm and the skies were blue, making the area seem even more surreal.

We returned to the Akureryi airport at 6:30 pm to catch a 7:20 pm home to Reykjavik. The plane ride was awesome, as we saw panoramic views of the various terrains in Iceland, and enjoyed free tea, coffee, and water! We arrived back in Reykjavik at 8:15 pm and walked over to Krua Thai, a great little thai restaurant, to eat and relax after a long day of travel.

The weekend and week were action-packed and we enjoyed meeting new people, connecting with fellow workers, and showing my parents around Iceland.

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A Long Weekend with the Gordons: Part 3 (Monday)

After a restful night's sleep in REAL beds, we woke up and grabbed some breakfast from the guesthouse's restaurant. We then headed out to our first adventure of the day: snowmobiling! The weather was bit overcast and foggy, but we knew that regardless, the skidoos (snowmobiles) would be fun.

We met our guide at the bottom of Joklasel and proceeded to take a bumpy 4WD adventure to the top of the glacier. 30 minutes later and a seemingly infinite number of sharp turns on a road with no guard rails, we arrived at the top of the glacier to a cafe! In the middle of vast nothingness, it seems only natural that there be a cafe (especially in Iceland).

We geared up in some wonderfully warm snow gear, helmets, and boots (it was -1 degree Celsius at the top!), and then got on our skidoos to head up the glacier.

 As you can see, it was a bit foggy out. We assumed that our ride would consist of some fun riding in the clouds, but we were sorely mistaken. After about five minutes on the snow mobile, we broke through the clouds and saw this....

Bright blue skies against the white snow! We were ecstatic.

Riding around for an hour and a half on the snowmobiles was absolutely insane! SOOOOO FUN. Thanks mom and dad for this awesome experience.

After returning to the bottom of the glacier, we headed back west, stopping for a bit at the glacier lagoon and checking out the black sand beaches flooded with ice. 

Who knew that beaches could be icy?

We then loaded back into the car and returned to Skaftafell National Park for some lunch and a glacier hike.

Lunch in Skaftafell.

Some glacier hiking pics.

Overall, a great day of adventure. We drove the rest of the way back to Reykjavik, stopping at a great pizza shop, Gallery Pizza. A tiring day, but totally worth it!

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shilpikumar:

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Some pictures from our adventures!

shilpikumar:

Traveling with Beth's parents

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A Long Weekend with the Gordons: Part 2 (Sunday)

Sorry for the delay. Just wanted to have pictures to accompany our travels for your viewing pleasure!

After a day of whale watching and Golden Circle touring, we woke up at 8 am for a long day trip to the southeast of iceland, touring the southern coast along the way. 

Waking up and walking over to my parents hotel, we ran into our first obstacle of the day: The car rental I had confirmed was not at the hotel to pick us up. After calling the rental agency, we were finally picked up and went over to pick out our lovely manual transmission vehicle.

Obstacle number 2 then occurred: The car would not start. After changing cars, we finally headed out around 1030 am, off to see the wonders of the south.

  First stop on our tour: Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful waterfall that we could walk behind. We also hiked up to a few smaller waterfalls in the same area. 

Second stop: Skogafoss and the town of Skogar. Another amazingly beautiful waterfall and town with turf-covered houses. Shilpi and I had already been to both Skogafoss and Seljandfoss and were glad that my parents enjoyed them as much as we did.

After Skogar, we stopped to see the beautiful black sand beaches and basalt column formations at Reynisdrangur. The columns were huge and the way the water molded the surrounding rocks was awe-inspiring,  We then headed over to Vik for a much needed lunch break.

Bellies full, we drove from Vik to Skaftafell National Park, passing through a bunch of lava fields and miles and milies of flat, bare land. Though the ride was a bit boring, it was interesting to see so few remnants of civilization. We really were alone in the countryside. 

Arriving in Skaftafell around 5, we decided to hike in the rain to the Svartifoss Waterfall, a dark basalt column waterfall.

Alone in the national park, we enjoyed a bit more peace and quiet and this "easy" hike was not as easy as it seemed. The hour and a half hike passed through hills, rocks, and waterfalls alike. 

Our long day continued, as we drove to our Guesthouse for the night, Hali. We stopped at the jaw-dropping glacier lagoon, Jökulsárlón quickly to snap some pictures and walk around this awesome area. With the beach on one side and glaciers on the other, it was a mind-boggling experience. 

Finally, we arrived at Hali at 854 pm. We thought that the restaurant closed at 9 pm so we ran in. Luckily the waitress was more than happy to serve us. For dinner: Icelandic lamb soup, Artic char, and lamb from right outside of our guesthouse.

As if this delicious meal were not enough, the owner of the guesthouse pleasantly surprised Shilpi and me. There were some extra rooms, so they upgraded us to a private bathroom, free of charge! (Isn't the guesthouse property lovely?)

Shilpi and I were definitely excited to have our own room with real beds and sheets, as well as curtains to block out the lights.The blurs in the picture are Shilpi and me jumping into our lovely beds! A LONGGG Shower and some reading in bed capped off our amazing day. 

Next up on the Gordon adventure: snowmobiling and glacier hiking!

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A Long Weekend with the Gordons: Part 1 (Saturday)

Momma and Poppa Gordon are the best. We have had such an amazing weekend with them, and thus I have dedicated a mini-series to all of our adventures. I will try to capture all of the main points, so please bear with me, as the following few posts may be obnoxiously long.

Saturday: After a long day packed with Independence Day activities, combined with a bit of jet lag, my parents woke up a bit later than expected. We hustled to go whale-watching from Reykjavik's Harbor and luckily made it there on time. The weather was beautiful, which made for a nice morning trip. On our adventure we saw minke whales very close to the land, as well as some adorable baby puffins. When the wind picked up a bit, Shilpi and I decided to gear up in some garish whale watching gear. 

I know, we look GREAT (;

After our whale watching adventure, we grabbed some sandwiches and some more hotdogs (my parents really enjoyed them the first time!) and ran to catch our afternoon tour of the Golden Circle. 

The Golden Circle is a 300 km route that highlights some of Iceland's natural wonders. Stops included Þingvellir National Park, Gulfoss Waterfall, and Geysir (the English word geysir comes from this particular Icelandic geysir). Now a photo montage of some our stops on the tour.

Þingvellir national park. Wow.

Typical Gordon Family: Trying to throw me into the Gulfoss waterfall.

The Gulfoss Waterfall from above.

The Stokkur Geysir. Pretty spectacular.

Nothing like an awkward statue shot near the Geysir.

We returned to Reykjavik around 730 pm and decided to try out Icelandic Fish and Chips. Though the baked fish was not sensational, the traditional fish and chips were yummy and plentiful. We finished off the evening with some caramel dipped ice cream cones. Shilpi and I later went out for a bit, as it was our friend Theresa´s last night in Reykjavik :( 

We finally got a bit of shuteye before our next day's adventure to the Southeast.

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The end of the work week, independence day, momma and poppa Gordon

The rest of the work week went pretty well, and you will never believe it - we have another long weekend to celebrate Iceland's Independence day. Having friday off = super exciting. 

Before I go on and explain the independence day events, a brief review of the week at work:

-Lost all of the information about the sisterhood campaign due to a bad flash drive. Shilpi and I ended up having to reenter all 187 donor names, credit info, social security numbers in Icelandic (I guess practice makes perfect when using an Icelandic keyboard)

-Started working on a campaign for "The flying effect" (check out their blog). Basically two women are paragliding across Iceland to help raise awareness about the uN Women's butterfly campaign. Shilpi and I went out on the main streets in Reykjavik, asking people to show their support for the women and hold up a sign reading "I want to help give women the wind beneath their wings" (we are told it is not as corny in Icelandic)

-Dinners at two great vegetarian, organic restaurants. Reykjavik has an absurd number of restaurants and it has been awesome to try to them all

-Shilpi is over her sickness!!! YAYAYAY

Overall, the work week was nice. We are really settling into our office and absolutely love the people we are working with. Hanna, Anna, and Inga Dora are super helpful and fun to be around, and we are very lucky to have them show us around Reykjavik.

Yesterday (Friday) was independence day in Iceland, and let me just say it was INSANE. It seemed like the entire country was in Reykjavik. Cute kids aving around Icelandic flags, great street food, live bands, a carnival, a parade, and an overall exciting atmosphere. To top off the wonderful holiday, momma and poppa Gordon arrived!!! 

After meeting them at their hotel, we set straight to the streets to check out the action.

Things we did to celebrate the holiday:

-Ate Icelandic Hotdogs (yes, I know, I don't eat red meat, but apparently the hotdogs in Iceland are rated the best in the world)

-Walked around Lake Tjorin and ran into dozens of carnival games, many of which seemed oddly dangerous (pictures coming soon!)

-Grabbed yummy ice cream

-Walked around the old harbor, and stopped for some delicious lobster soup and halibut skewers at The Sea Baron Restaurant

-Went to Hallgrimskirkja church and saw the great view of the city!

-Yummy late night snacks at cafe paris

A post about the weekend with Momma and Poppa soon to come, detailing our adventures.So far, we have been whale watching as well as toured the famous Golden Circle Tour. Tomorrow, we head to the southeast for the night. Can't wait to go snowmobiling and glacier hiking!