Lonely at Times

I’ve been here in Iceland for three days now but it feels much longer than that.

When my husband dropped me off at the airport I felt both sad and guilty to be leaving him for so long. Once I got checked in, I felt much better and remembered how good it feels to be a citizen of the world and talk to strangers like I’ve known them forever. I was excited and couldn’t wait to start my adventure.

I enjoyed my flight over to Iceland and had a chat to the man near me on the plane. It all felt so right for me. Keflavik airport is familiar to me but it didn’t stop the excitement I felt as I eagerly awaited to get outside into the bright sunshine. I withdrew ISK 20,000 (around £100) and bought my bus ticket all the way to the campsite. A young guy from New Zealand spoke to me and I showed him to the bus. He was going to the same place as me so we had a bit of a chat, but I was conscious of appearing either as a weird loner or overconfident. I guess there is a fine balance between the two when you travel on your own.

I was the only female camper on my own. There was a couple and two guys on their own. I only said hello to the others as I didn’t want to intrude. Being back in Reykjavik was nice so I had a lovely wander around until almost midnight and even then it didn’t get completely dark. It was so cold over night. My inhaler was frozen and the cold had given me asthma. My body was warm but my face was cold so I covered my face with my sleeping bag. I thought I might suffocate and nobody would find me until I miss my checkout. When I awoke, I headed for the geothermal pools next door and they reminded me of why I here.

I didn’t do much for the rest of the day, except have another wander around. Without money to spend, it is quite sad to pass by all the amazing shops and cafés. I can’t afford a drink and I’d just be sitting alone amongst all the travellers who are there in couples or groups. There is so much to do in Reykjavik but you need money for it all and I had been there before for almost 10 days.

I wanted to sleep in a dormitory instead of my tent but the guy on reception wasn’t sure how to do it as he’d recently started working there. Another night in my tent followed and the next day I knew I had to move on, to Akureyri.

I had planned to hitchhike but with such heavy bags and an unhealthy back, I decided to take a bus. However, when I compared the cost of the bus to flying there, I realised that flying was actually the best option. I suddenly booked it on my smart phone, and immediately started packing up my tent and trying to fit everything into my backpacks. There was nobody for me to say goodbye to so I crossed the road and took the bus to the domestic airport.

The bus does not stop at the airport but it is walking distance. With such heavy bags, I did start to think that I may as well have hitchhiked! Eventually I got to the airport after about 30 minutes… I literally could not have gone any further. I tried to check in my bag but they weren’t yet open for that so I had to pick it up and sit down. There was another false check in before finally being able to do it.

The flight over Iceland was absolutely beautiful. Stunning scenery and I loved flying in a Fokker for my first time – tasty coffee too. This flight was the highlight of my trip so far and I’ll never forget it. I was really excited to finally be in Akureyri but after waiting outside the airport for a local bus to collect me, I realised it only comes once a day. Nobody was at the airport by the time I realised that so I had to call for a taxi from the airport foyer. An expense I could barely afford but it was the only option seeing as I couldn’t walk a further 3km with my heavy bags.

I’ve now been here in Akureyri for about 28 hours and I’ve had the guesthouse entirely to myself. There is a strike here and hardly anything is open and I’ve not seen many people. I’ve spoken to the cleaner and the lady who works here to pay for another night. I spoke to the tourist information and said thank you to the cashier in the supermarket. If I had spare money I’d go and hang out at the trendy backpackers’ bar, but I’ve already overspent so I’ll just have to use my time to work out how to move on from this beautiful city.

Without my own car and before the summer season, it is not at all easy to see the amazing sites around here. Organised tours cost far more than I can afford and if I take a bus somewhere, it doesn’t come back on the same day. There is so much I want to see and do but I can’t do it with so little cash. I think I’d be too cold for wild camping and guesthouses are too expensive for me so I think my only option is to see if I can arrive at my farm a little earlier than I planned.

I’m starting to think that perhaps I should have continued with my comfortable life because it can be very lonely when you’re travelling on your own with very little money to spare.

Let’s see what the next few days bring…

Wish me luck.