I can’t believe it’s been one week since I’ve been in
Colombia. I was in Bogota the first half of the week, meeting my fellow Fulbright
scholars. Most of us will be placed in universities around the country to assist
with English classes (ETA program), but there are a few researchers in there
who will be working on their own projects, such as studying the effects of
climate change on coffee farming and developing sustainable agriculture in the
Amazon. I really loved everyone I met—both the Fulbrighters and the amazing team
of women who make Fulbright work in Colombia. It was great to put a face to the
names that I’ve been exchanging emails with for the past four months.
TEDx event to celebrate 60 years of Fulbright in Colombia!
Bogota
We’ve spent the second half of the week settling into
our new home, Cartagena de Indias. Norbert arrived Friday (with 235 pounds of
luggage in tow, most of it kitesurfing gear) and I arrived midday on Saturday.
We had booked a room at a hotel that had been recommended to me by the previous
ETA, and the plan was to stay here for a few weeks while we found a permanent
residence. Well, it didn’t take me long to pronounce that I didn’t want to
leave this place.
The Hotel Bellavista, a sprawling mansion across from
the beach, is 70 years old and full of history. The walls are covered in
artwork donated by artist visitors that have stayed here over the years. There
are so many beautiful aspects of this place, but my favorite would be the big
open courtyards that are shaded by huge ficus trees. With the sea breeze and
the extensive canopy cover, it doesn’t even get that hot here during the middle
of the day! Everywhere you look there are vines sprawling out of their pots, brightening
up the white-washed walls with splashes of vibrant green. Dozens of cats
coexist with a small army of pigeons that roost in the rooftops. The family running the hotel is very sweet and helpful, and the owner is half French! In fact, there are quite a few French people running around this town, including several French teaching assistants and a British one! (No German teaching assistants this year, so Norbert may just have to fill in...)
Our living room!
The traffic outside our front door is pretty intense,
but all you’ve got to do it brave four lanes of Colombian drivers before
arriving at the soft sandy beach. In the morning, the beach is full of
fishermen pulling in their extensive nets (we nearly got caught in one
yesterday while taking a morning dip) and vendors hawking the fresh fish on the
seawall. In fact, Norbert just walked in with fresh-caught pargo (or red snapper) to fry up for dinner.
Fishermen pull in the net
Seeing as I was in the middle of reading Patti Smith’s
memoir Just Kids when I got to
Colombia, the idea of living in a hotel has taken on a mythic quality to me.
She lived in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City for several years, and living in a hotel sounds like the perfect place to be an artist and meet many interesting
people. So that’s my plan here at Hotel Bellavista. I’ve already met a bunch of
other long-term residents, all who insist that our apartamento is the best in the house; I’d have to agree because it
comes with a private patio that is inhabited by a sweet orange tabby who’s
happily adopted us as cuddle buddies.
I feel very Holly Golightly with a cat who belongs to no one and has no name
Kitty in patio
Our first night in our new place was unforgettable. A
serious storm descended on us, and what was a cozy stormy night became quite
the adventure when we realized our ceiling was leaking. The invasion of water
in the roof also released an avalanche of large winged insects (which we later
found out were drywood termites) that died en masse when their wings got wet—but
not before freaking us both out! We’ll be sleeping under a mosquito net from
now on…
Yesterday evening, Norbert broke in his kite, taking
it for a spin on the Caribbean Sea for the first time.
Can you spot Norbert's kite out the window?
Norbert's new friend, fellow kitesurfer Daniel
Happy man
Our front yard
In a little bit, after a fresh fruit breakfast prepared by my beloved, we’ll walk over to the historic walled city to visit the university campus there. I won’t be working in that location, but I’ve heard it’s a gorgeous campus. All in all, we’re happy, we’re healthy, and we’re loving our new home!
Universidad de Cartagena in the walled city
My fellow teaching assistants and me
Strolling down the street in the historic walled city
A
few months ago, when my partner Norbert and I were talking about our upcoming
move to Colombia, I came up with the “brilliant” idea to go off of social media
for the year that we’re living abroad. I thought it would be a great way to
truly engage with the culture around us rather than falling back into the
comfort zone that our social media platforms provide. With the world at your fingertips,
you can never truly be far away anymore. Even though my (digital) life is often
punctuated by mundane updates from people I might not even know, their presence
in my life (however small and insignificant) makes it possible for me to feel
less alone, less uncomfortable, more at home, etc.
Of
course, now that it’s time to actually go thru with our plan, I don’t think it’s
so brilliant anymore. But here we are, four days away from D-day.
I
realize that the decision to go off of social media in this day and age might
sound a bit drastic, so let me explain. First off, after the intensity of the
election that turned my distracted social media habit into an outright addiction,
I wouldn’t mind a break from the barrage of information and online screaming
matches. Being on social media has made me feel like I’m staying up to date on
the news and being productive in my democracy, but I’m not convinced that
either of these is actually true.
Secondly,
I’m interested in pursuing this as an experiment to explore just how addicted I
actually am to social media. I’ve been living my life in some kind of public
online platform since I was in high school. That’s over fifteen years of
blurring the line between real life and digital life! Myspace, Livejournal,
Facebook (in its earliest baby stages), Instagram, Twitter – I’ve interacted
with them all, some of them more than others. Will I go through withdrawal
symptoms, like any other drug addict would when weaning off of their drug of
choice? As someone who actively participates in and enjoys social media, I can
already tell that this won’t be an easy separation for me—and it hasn’t even
started yet!
Also,
the more I learn about social media, the more I wonder—can we actually survive
in today’s world without it? And what will we miss out on in the process? On the
flip side, what can be gained from opting out of this supposed “necessity”? Will I even want to reactivate my social media
accounts once this is year-long sabbatical is over?
I’m
interested in seeing how the absence of social media will change my
relationships and other aspects of my life. Without the convenience of finding
out about others’ life by scrolling through my news feed, will I be more
inclined to give someone a call? And without the ability to fill my spare time
with never-ending scrolling, what will fill these moments instead? Will I
become more creative, more extraverted, more introverted, quieter, more
talkative? Will I be depressed and bored? Or will I finally learn a new
instrument or read all the books that have been on my reading list forever?
That
being said, Norbert and I still want to keep in touch with our friends and
family. One reason why I love social media so much is because I love sharing my
life and connecting with others, and this blog is going to give me the outlet
to continue doing so. We’ll post updates and photos as often as we can, so don’t
forget to sign up for email updates! And I hope that you will still reach out
to me by email at Carmella.guiol@gmail.com.
I’m
also extremely interested to hear about your own relationship to social media.
Do you love it? Hate it? Make money off it? Can’t live without it but wish you
could? Please share your opinions on social media with me—I’d love to hear them
all! And if you know someone else with an interesting social media story,
please send them my way!
Thanks to Norbert who designed this great interactive map! Click here for a full-screen version with extra features.
Day one (Yellow route) – 104 km
We arrived in Iceland on Friday afternoon and of course our
driver was not at the airport to pick us up as planned. Luckily, we were able
to take the FlyBus from the airport in Keflavik to the bus station in
Reykjavik, a 45 min drive. Our driver was waiting for us there and I was a bit concerned
about the legitimacy of the company when we got to their very sparse office to
sign the contract for our camper van and found piles of kids’ toys and car
seats heaped around, but it turns out that everything was cool and our van was
in perfect condition for our journey -- fully equipped with fold out bed/couch, gas stove, sink, fridge, and most importantly, a heater! (Yeah we bougie now!) So great to have our hotel and transportation rolled into one! Since we had no guide book, we asked the
driver for travel suggestions and he told us that he was from the West Fjords
and we should go there, especially because all the other tourists go
south/east; that was enough information for us. We headed north out of
Reykjavik, exhilarated for our new adventure.
I did a quick Google search for free hot springs in western
Iceland and found one that was less than two hours away. The description read:
“Landbrotalaug - The hidden, tiny and romantic
one.” We popped the GPS coordinates in and we
were on our way!
Driving along the coast, we got a sense for the wildness
that awaited us.
It didn’t take long for us to spot our first flock of Icelandic
sheep – with tons of adorable sweet lambs dotting the hills!
Stopping for a
coffee at a gas station on the side of the road, we were also introduced to
Icelandic prices: $10 for a cup of coffee and a cup of hot water! The Icelandic Króna is very strong! 100 Króna
is equal to $1, and something like a small pizza at Pizza Hut could set you
back $35!
As per the directions, we turned off the main highway and headed west on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
I believe at this point the road was unpaved, and remained so for much of our trip. We drove past the Eldborg crater and found the little side road with a sign announcing “Heitt bað,” Icelandic for hot bath. Unfortunately, the parking lot was more occupied than we had imagined and there was a line of people waiting to soak in the “tiny romantic” hot spring. But we did some exploring around the area and found another hot spring/glorified puddle, and that did just the trick—especially in the freezing cold rain! We spent the night at
Landbrotalaug and in the morning we hot the tiny romantic hot spring all to ourselves—and yes, the websites aren’t lying when they say it only fits 2 people!
N enjoys post-dip breakfast in the van!
Day 2 (pink route) – 301 km
On Saturday, after our dip, we continued
westward on Snæfellsnes
Peninsula towards
the
Snæfellsjökullvolcano, the setting of Jules Verne’s novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth. We were desperately in need of a bathroom when we passed a parking lot on the side of the road filled with tourists
milling about so I insisted that Norbert pull over so we could find out what all the fuss was about. We followed the crowds up a short path that led into a crevice in the mountainside and discovered an awesome cave that is the site of an Icelandic mythical tale about two brothers. We learned about quite a few Icelandic “sagas”
along our journey; it seems as if every rock and river has an ancient story
behind it, much like with other indigenous peoples.
We
entered into the Snæfellsjökull National Park,
the first national park established in Iceland, and checked out the great
visitor’s center with tons of historical info about the ancient fishing culture
in this area. We even tried several different kinds of seaweed from the area! The park ranger gave us lots of good advice and a map of hikes
throughout the park. Since the weather was clearing up a bit (the morning had
been dreary thus far), we turned off the main road and headed up into the
mountains. With the clouds parting, we got great views of the glacier and the
surrounding landscape, with the ocean at our feet. We were even so blessed as
to be able to take a nap in the sun beside a rushing river on some soft moss.
It was splendid!
On the way back down the mountain, we did a few hikes—one around a crater and two to beautiful and powerful waterfalls.
Back down at sea
level, we headed for the tip of the peninsula, Öndverðarnes, an area with
interesting lava formations leftover from Snæfellsjökull’s
long ago volcanic eruption. On the way there, Norbert spotted several killer
whales off the coast so we jumped out of the car and raced towards the cliffs
to see them but they were gone by the time we made it to the edge.
Down the
road a bit farther, we parked the car by a funky lighthouse and walked down to the sea. With our beloved ocean as our witness, Norbert got down on both knees
and asked me a very important question—and I said yes!
Giddy
with love, we ventured onward. Although it was late afternoon by then, we still
had enough light to keep on adventuring. This is the land of the midnight sun,
after all! Driving along the northern edge of the peninsula, we wove in and out
of fjords, each one offering a more spectacular view than the last. A rainbow
kept us company for much of the drive.
As the sun was dimming, on a very
deserted part of the road, an arctic fox darted across the road. We stopped and
watched it scamper up the hillside. It then stopped to glare at us and give
several warning sounds (hoots? Screeches?) to scare us off, but wow, what an
amazing encounter!
Around midnight, we pulled off on a spit of land surrounded
by the sea to rest for the night.
Our only company was two rusty
abandoned fishing boats leftover from another time.
Day 3 (lime green) – 444 km
We
reached our destination around 10 in the morning, another hot spring—this one
beside the ocean in the Vatnsfjörður fjord. But the day was turning out to be very
rainy so we continued westward towards Latrabjarg, where we had been told we
could see puffins! It is also the westernmost point of Europe, not counting the
Azores. Well, let me tell you. We were certainly off the beaten track. We drove
through tiny villages with a few deserted farmhouses scattered on the hillsides
and an old fishing trawler parked on the beach, looking like it was ready to go.
As always, the ocean was our constant companion as we went alongside the edge
of the fjord, often with beaches that looked like they were straight out of the
Caribbean! (Although we weren’t foolish enough to jump into the freezing cold
north Atlantic!) We rose up into the mountains and back down again on winding,
windy, foggy, heart-stoppingly treacherous gravel roads that nearly gave me
(Carmella) a heart attack!
After what felt like Forever (I couldn’t stop singing this song to ease my mind), we
finally arrived at Latrabjarg! Off we went up the enormous, grassy cliffs to
check out the flocks of busy seabirds. We hiked up and up and up and it seems
like every time we thought we had reached the top, we’d find another peak. We
kept at it for a while, checking out the seabirds nesting on the sides of the
cliffs along the way (again, Carmella nearly had several more heart attacks
when Norbert stood so damn close to the edge!).
The hike back down seemed even
longer and never ending than the hike up and we wondered if maybe we’d missed a
turn. But finally, we were back in our warm car, and boy am I super glad
Norbert splurged on the heater—and remembered to turn it on every time we left
on a hike so the van was always nice and toasty when we returned soggy and
cold!
The drive back down:
Back at Hellulaug, the hot spring next to the sea, we had a good time jumping into
the freezing cold ocean and back into the spring for the thrill. After a while,
the hot spring filled up with tourists from a nearby inn—all of them North
Americans—and we realized it was our first encounter with tourists all trip. We’d
seen some on the roads and at the sights but hadn’t spoken to anyone yet. We’d
barely spoken/seen anyone but each other in 2 delightful days!
right before sleep, this is Iceland after midnight!
Back on the road, we retraced our steps part of the way and chose a resting place on
a mountain top with an amazing view of the fjords beneath our feet. For dinner,
delicious ramen and red wine—our first hot meal in 3 days!
Day 4 (purple route) – 257 km
Monday,
we crossed over the mountains on more scary gravel roads with more epic scenery.
There is water everywhere in this country– rain, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers,
ocean.
Our last stop of the trip was Glymur falls, a great tip from the Denver
folks we’d met the day before. The hike to the falls was very rugged, complete
with an intense river crossing and steep uphill climbs with steel cables for
support. SO worth it.
We were on a bit of a tight schedule to return our camper to the rental company in
Reykjavik but we did so without a hitch. (Iceland is so much better organized
than our last vacation destination…. I won’t name any names ;)) It
was sad to say goodbye to our dear friend, the love bus!
Total Mileage: 1106 km!
For our last night together, we stayed at an airbnb in the same town as the
airport, Keflavik. Upon arriving, we rushed over to the local pool to soak in
their hot baths and enjoy the steam room and the ice plunge as well. It was
right before they closed and the place was still packed with locals getting in a
last soak of the day. We really loved this aspect of Icelandic culture. Every
town has a bath house/pool complex and every schoolchild learns to swim as part
of their curriculum!
After the “hot pot”, as they call it here in Iceland, we headed over to Keflavik’s harbor
and enjoyed dinner at Kaffi Duus, a restaurant overlooking the floating docks
at the old small-craft harbor. We shared two Icelandic delicacies: lamb and
minke whale – both delicious – as well as micro brewed beer from
Einstök and a traditional Icelandic dessert, Skyr, which is a bit like yogurt/cheese.
Norbert left to the airport very early on Tuesday morning while I caught
up on some beauty sleep. Now he’s back at work in Germany and I’m hanging out
in Reykjavik, waiting for my conference to kick off on Thursday. I love this
town, and I’ll be sure to post pictures of the colorful houses and amazing
street art very soon! Meanwhile, I still can’t get used to the
never-ending sunlight!
View from my window at 12:30 AM - or Sunset, you could say!
For more videos of our time, click here or watch below!
Have a comment for Norbert and Carmella? Please send it to carmella dot guiol at gmail dot com
