For the first 3 days, we rented out an apartment from AirBnB:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3170489

The apartment was very conveniently located right behind Reykjavik's landmark, Hallgrímskirkja, the huge church that can't be missed. The apartment is owned by a family. They usually live there but sometimes they leave for their vacation home during the weekends and rent it out on AirBnB. When we arrived (a bit late), the host, Hanna, was already at the doorstep waiting with the apartment keys. They left for the weekend after that, so we had the whole place to ourselves. We also had their private parking spot, so parking was not a problem. We enjoyed our 2 nights there. It was homey, spacious and cozy.

Packing up to leave on Day 3. The place was neatly furnished and decorated. They had a fully stocked kitchen as well, but we only used the kitchen once - We used their plates and utensils to eat some fish and chips takeaways.

Since there were 4 of us and only 3 beds, I had the couch.

We left Reykjavik and traveled 40 minutes southwest to Iceland's #1 tourist trap - The Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is Iceland's most touristy and most well known geothermal spa. It is commonly featured in post cards and has been featured frequently in travel guides and documentaries. It's conveniently located only 20 minutes away from Keflavik International Airport.


Blue Lagoon: http://www.bluelagoon.com/

So it's a tourist trap. Was it worth it? Absolutely yes!

I bought the Comfort pack, which included towel, and a drink.

Entrance to the Blue Lagoon. You have to walk a bit to reach it from the parking lot.

When we got there, it was chilly and very very windy. Wind gusts were at least 40-50 mph. We quickly got our stuffs and hurried into the entrance. After getting our tickets, we were each given a cool bracelet that gave us access to the locker, as well as keep track of our spending at the Blue Lagoon bar. That way, we didn't need to bring keys or money with us. The locker opens/closes by scanning the bracelet. It took me a while to figure out the steps needed to do that. Freakin cool high tech stuff. The locker room was very clean as we had to remove our shoes before going in. It was also dry. The shower room had stalls. We showered, changed into our swim trucks, put on our bath robes and headed out. It was FREAKIN cold. The wind was blasting us, flapping our bath robes around. We hurriedly jumped right into the lagoon.

Ahhhh... warmth.

Soaking in the pool when the wind is kicking waves in your face wasn't that fun.

The lagoon is exactly what you would expect. The distinct milky blue color of the water almost seemed familiar. As we explored the place, we realized that the lagoon is not evenly heated. There are some very uncomfortable cold spots that made me scurry away in search of more warmth. We finally settled near some heat vents near the bar. They have a bar in the lagoon itself. I ordered a cup of beer by scanning my bracelet. By that time, the wind was so strong that it was kicking waves in my face. Overpriced beer with some drops of mineral rich spa water. It was quite an experience. The lagoon is fairly large. We walked around in the lagoon to different spots. There are some paths that go under bridges. There's also an area with a mini man made waterfall. That was pretty cool. We also checked out the steam room that's located right by the lagoon. Of course, coming out from the lagoon to get to the steam room wasn't fun in the cold. There are also spots with mud, that you can apply on your face and body. It's supposed to soften your skin. I didn't feel much difference, but my friend did though.

The staff looks nicely bundled up. Here you can see people ordering drinks from the bar. Most people, including me, went for the beer.

After getting bored and soaking up all the heat I needed, I relaxed indoors, safe from the wind and cold.

There is a dining area, but we didn't have lunch there.

That was my first ever experience soaking in an outdoor geothermal spa. It was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Experiencing it in the iconic Blue Lagoon, in the exotic Iceland, made it even more special. I wondered how much more amazing it would have been if I could just soak in there at night and watch the auroras dance above me. Oh, the things you could do if you were to live in Iceland.

Saw this while exiting the Blue Lagoon. Geothermal plant?

After Blue Lagoon, I dropped one of my friends off at the airport. He only joined us from London for a short weekend trip. Our party of four shrunk to three as we continued our adventure, this time outside of the Reykjavik area. Our next destination was Skogar where we spent the night. Before that, we stopped by Selfoss to have lunch and stock up on food. Selfoss is the last large town heading east towards Skogar, so it's good to get food and gas.



We had lunch at lunch at Kaffi Krus in Selfoss, due to the good reviews on TripAdvisor.

Kaffi Krus: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g315852-d3434867-Reviews-Kaffi_Krus-Selfoss_South_Region.html

It serves typical Western food, including pizza and burgers. The place was pretty quiet when we got there. There were only 2 or 3 other parties. I guess that's normal during shoulder season in September.

I was hungry. No complains here. My other friends got pizzas.

It was a pretty quiet day at Kaffi Krus

Kaffi Krus. They have seating on the second floor as well. Fall foliage can be seen around the town. Autumn comes early here.

Along the way to Skogar,we also stopped by the popular waterfall Seljalandsfoss. It is located right off the Ring Road.



Though Iceland is crammed with outstanding waterfalls, the popular ones are usually unique. Seljalandsfoss stands out because it is a waterfall where you can actually stroll behind it. The waterfall is not as huge or powerful as Skogafoss, so you won't get drenched even if you walk near it (assuming favorable wind conditions).

Unfortunately, the coffee stand was closed by the time we got there.

The trail brings you behind the waterfall.

From behind the falls. Though it's during sunset, it was cloudy and lighting was really bad. The money shots from here are usually during sunset where both the setting sun and the falls are captured together in this scene.

I was surprised to see this many tourists this late in the evening. We must have planned with similar schedules.

We spent the night at Hotel Lambafell.

Hotel Lambafel: http://lambafell.is/

It was already dark when we got there, and it was raining. The hotel is located in one of the many small turnouts along the Ring Road. Most of the small roads that fork out from the Ring Road are usually paved, but this particular stretch had some awful potholes. As I was driving along this bumpy crappy road in total darkness (no street lights outside major towns) in the rain, I hit a huge pothole. I didn't react in time to swerve away from the pothole. The impact was really loud. Almost immediately, the pressure reading of the impacted tire started dropping. Luckily, we got to the hotel safely. After checking in, I went back to the car to check the pressure reading again. The pressure reading was still dropping, but at least it began to taper out. I was still worried sick because the nearest town is a good 30 minutes away either way. But there was nothing I could do at that time since all the shops would have been closed anyway.

So I went to bed, hoping for the best outcome. Lesson learned: DRIVE SLOWLY ON SHITTY ROADS.