T1B

Trolls were racked at Skogafoss. Also saw hobbit houses. May or may not see a glacier today. It depends on how far it has receded.

A little walk will do you good Bri, get the photo.

Left Seater wrote:A little walk will do you good Bri, get the photo.

We will see. I have a 75 year old woman and a 10 year old with me. Getting about 20000 steps a day as it is.

Hey BSuck, I heard Iceland or at least Reykjavik is very expensive. What has your experience been?

Screw_Michigan wrote:Hey BSuck, I heard Iceland or at least Reykjavik is very expensive. What has your experience been?

It is very expensive for most consumer products. One thing, restaurants don't do tipping. So inflated dinner tabs don't feel so bad. Also, I have yet to have a bad meal here.

Left Seater wrote:A little walk will do you good Bri, get the photo.

Got the pic. Also got some curry chicken with pasta, went to Reynisfjara and saw Laufskálavarða, a site with thousands of cairns made of volcanic rock.

BSmack wrote:saw Laufskálavarða, a site with thousands of cairns made of volcanic rock

I saw something similar in Peru. It was as if there were no stones left that weren’t part of a cairns.

Nice photos..thanks for sharing Bri. Certainly an interesting country. What made you decide to go there ??

Ireland is on our list after Belize next year.

Derron wrote:Nice photos..thanks for sharing Bri. Certainly an interesting country. What made you decide to go there ??

My wife and mother in-law concocted this trip. So far it has been nothing but awesome.

Saw some more glaciers today. There is a pissed of artic tern, Icelandic tour boat guy dealing with annoying Chinese tourists,and an up close encouter with Icelandic sheep.

Why was your boat guy annoyed?

Boat guy didn't act annoyed. But that Chinese tour group was obnoxious. They talked constantly while he was doing a presentation about the glaciers, posed for selfies with him while he was trying to talk to the group and their leader was grabbing the boat guy's hand while he was trying to speak. Just no sense of propriety at all.

Clouds let up today.

Great pet.

We are now in Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Things are a whole lot more rustic. Today we head for Reykjanes Peninsula and a date with the Blue Lagoon.

Went whale watching. Not sure if that was Rumple-Ex's dorsal fin, but it was an orca. Saw the fluke of a sperm whale too. Had fish and chips in a joint in Olafsvik called Hraun. House art in a fishing village called Rif. A lighthouse and a gold sand beach.

A few last shots from Snaefellsnes. The church in Stykkisholmur, a radio transmitter tower on the south end of the peninsula, and a view of the fjord from Borgarnes.

I don’t think Chinese have a sense of order as in waiting your turn. When the kids were young and we did the Disney World thing, whenever one of the Mouses or other Disney characters came out, they’d rush him en masse and push and shove to get a picture with him. There, standing in an orderly line, were us woeful Americans cussing under our breath at these barbarians who don’t obey social rules.

It’s gotta be a cultural thing.

^^^^^^^^^^

This. I have been to China a number of times for both vacation and work. The first time I got in what I thought was a line to buy my subway tickets. However as soon as the person at the window moved someone would cut in and go to the window. After seeing this a few times I said fuck it, y’all are all 5 foot nothing. I just stepped back and when the window opened I reached over everyone to hand my coins to the attendant.

Personal space is another thing they don’t understand.

rooster wrote:I don’t think Chinese have a sense of order as in waiting your turn. When the kids were young and we did the Disney World thing, whenever one of the Mouses or other Disney characters came out, they’d rush him en masse and push and shove to get a picture with him. There, standing in an orderly line, were us woeful Americans cussing under our breath at these barbarians who don’t obey social rules.

It’s gotta be a cultural thing.

It is that way in Korea, too.

Left Seater wrote: Personal space is another thing they don’t understand.

Because in their ginormous, shutyomouth sized cities, they don't have any.

While working in Africa I always got a chuckle out of watching newly arrived Americans in camp get tremendously uncomfortable while standing in line at the chow hall. They’d be slowly shuffling along maintaining their personal bubble and the Angolans, who don’t have such a thing, would unconsciously shuffle right up dick-to-ass behind them. On top of that it’s generally impolite in Africa to talk quietly to another person because the assumption is they are gossiping about you. So in addition to having another dudes’ dick poking you in the ass, they are talking at the top of their lungs, not quite a shout, but almost.

I quickly learned to stand sideways and keep your elbows flared to maintain a more normal/American amount of spacing.

88 wrote:Since we’re banging on the Chinese and all, I’ll share a few personal stories...

So today these Chinese subcontractors cam out to install my new cabinets today that the so called general contractor got me a great deal on. They got to working on them, the dude had this slant chick who he was making do the work while he went outside to smoke cigarettes ( Marlboros of course) on the bumper of his van, and drop the butts on the paver drive way. I told him he better pick those fucking butts up before my wife gets home or he will leave with his nuts in his mouth. He nodded and said yes, yes, yes. He failed to understand and my wife came home, saw the butts and picked them up with a handful of 1/4 minus gravel and threw them in the back of his work van all over his tools and telling him to pickup the mother fucking cigarette butts before she kicked his scrawny ass.

He was the installer and the finish on the cabinets had multiple defects in them and I took my construction pencil and circled them on the faces and told my general nobody gets paid another dime until I get properly finished doors. The slant just kept saying yes yes...yes..

We took the train up to Seattle a few years back for a Mariner series and this gook was pretty pushy getting on in Portland. Come time to get off in Seattle, this fucker has his bag in his arms charging down the aisle like a fucking linebacker knocking people around. I am set up perfect and stick my foot out and trip that gook flat on his face sprawled in the aisle. His bag flys out in front of him and he does a perfect face plant. That gets a major cheer from everybody and the gook is trying to gather his shit up and still crowd the door. I grab him by the collar and set him back in the corner a bit and walk off. Culture or not fuck him. Great start to a weekend in Seattle.

Iceland looks OK, but after a lifetime in maritime Western Oregon that is way too fucking gray, gloomy and cloudy for me to even consider that a vacation. I can get that shit every day from November to March.

Derron wrote:

88 wrote:Since we’re banging on the Chinese and all, I’ll share a few personal stories...

So today these Chinese subcontractors cam out to install my new cabinets today that the so called general contractor got me a great deal on. They got to working on them, the dude had this slant chick who he was making do the work while he went outside to smoke cigarettes ( Marlboros of course) on the bumper of his van, and drop the butts on the paver drive way. I told him he better pick those fucking butts up before my wife gets home or he will leave with his nuts in his mouth. He nodded and said yes, yes, yes. He failed to understand and my wife came home, saw the butts and picked them up with a handful of 1/4 minus gravel and threw them in the back of his work van all over his tools and telling him to pickup the mother fucking cigarette butts before she kicked his scrawny ass.

He was the installer and the finish on the cabinets had multiple defects in them and I took my construction pencil and circled them on the faces and told my general nobody gets paid another dime until I get properly finished doors. The slant just kept saying yes yes...yes..

We took the train up to Seattle a few years back for a Mariner series and this gook was pretty pushy getting on in Portland. Come time to get off in Seattle, this fucker has his bag in his arms charging down the aisle like a fucking linebacker knocking people around. I am set up perfect and stick my foot out and trip that gook flat on his face sprawled in the aisle. His bag flys out in front of him and he does a perfect face plant. That gets a major cheer from everybody and the gook is trying to gather his shit up and still crowd the door. I grab him by the collar and set him back in the corner a bit and walk off. Culture or not fuck him. Great start to a weekend in Seattle.

Saw this sign at a bakery in Stykkisholmur. It kind of sums up the attitude of western Iceland. We are in JFK now, connecting to ROC in a few hours.

We hit the Blue Lagoon last night which was both epic and something I will never do again, even if I am in Iceland again. It is a human cattle call getting inand out. Better deals can be found at local pools. I didn't take my phone inside because I am not a 20 something woman nor am I Chinese.

Going to sort throu the best of the rest in a few days.

Happy 4th of July.

Derron wrote:I took my construction pencil...

The best of the rest folks.

In order: a pyramid-shaped mountain and a rainbow seen on Snaefellsnes Peninsula.

The sun rising over the Labrador Sea on our way up to Iceland. Not often you get to see the sunrise at 2 in the morning.

Well equipped seats in terminal 2 at JFK contrasted with the very Spartan and uncomfortable seats at Keflavik.

A shot taking out of the plane window heading back home. If you look really hard you can see the landmass of Greenland.

A pack of Kleinas and an Eigl's Appelsin consumed not long before takeoff at Keflavik. Eigl's Appelsin is sold almost everywhere you can buy bottled products in Iceland. It is the closest thing I have seen in my life to the old glass-bottle orange sodas that used to be everywhere in the 70s.

Last, a few shots outside of the Blue Lagoon to give you an idea what the water looked like inside. My Samsung Galaxy may be waterproof but it is not silica proof so I left it in my locker.

All in all it was an epic trip. The rain we encountered we found out was very unusual. On our way back we read an article that Iceland had had more rain in June and May than any other 2 months since June and may of 1914. So if you're thinking about going to Iceland and the rain and the foggy looking weather scared you off, it was an anomaly. Go and enjoy. But it wouldn't hurt to pack some waterproof hiking pants and a raincoat.

Great PET, Bri.

A+

Rack Bri

I'd say this is my travel itinerary for now:

Cartagena
Rio
Montevideo
Helsinki
Santiago

Softball Bat wrote:

Derron wrote:I took my construction pencil...

Maybe I can give Arch a shout out, there seems to be room in your dome for a few more people since you seem to be obsessed with me lately. Faggot.

RACK the Iceland PET.

Seeing all that ice and people in cold weather gear is making me jealous. I've been out of town all week and came back to 110 degrees at my house. The AC doesn't appear to be keeping up - I guess I put off getting a tune-up for too long. The service guys are probably all booked weeks out now.

I guess a lot of you other losers have been getting some heat lately, no?

It was 101 the other morning at 9:30am as we departed Vegas. Was something around 112 when we returned that afternoon. Hotel A/C is struggling to keep up. Heck 82 is a 30 degree drop and 72 is a 40 degree drop. That is asking a lot from a system.

I got back last night from Tahoe City where it was about 77 when I left. It was 111 here yesterday, and in the 90s when I got home last night. Our AC tried to come on for the first time this year and, for some reason, the outdoor unit (condenser fan and compressor) isn't coming on. So, it's now about 85 in the house. The relay on the unit isn't getting any signal so now I'm fucking around with a new thermostat. I've got air but no cooling. I'll probably have to climb up in the ceiling to check the indoor unit, where the 24 V power supply is. Service techs are so busy right now the earliest appointment I can get is for Friday.

:brad:

Man, the sucks. I feel for ya. Sounds like the local Hyatt Place or Courtyard might be in your future.

Left Seater wrote:Man, the sucks. I feel for ya. Sounds like the local Hyatt Place or Courtyard might be in your future.

Mikey, try not to do any peaceful protesting because if the police illegally arrest you, I'll blame you until you can prove that you were peaceful. Because that's how shit goes in Left Seater land, land of the free and the home of the brave.

You better fucking stand for G0d Bless America, too.

Sincerely,
You know who

Might have hit 80 today. My AC is keeping up just fine. Headed to the high desert tomorrow, might hit 90 but it is a drah heat.

Screw_Michigan wrote:
Mikey, try not to do any peaceful protesting because if the police illegally arrest you, I'll blame you until you can prove that you were peaceful. Because that's how shit goes in Left Seater land, land of the free and the home of the brave.

You better fucking stand for G0d Bless America, too.

Sincerely,
You know who

Has zero to do with the topic at hand, check. Look like my free rent just got extended again.