Bus Blunder

Saga´s are a part of Icelandic folk law. They are usually very long, sung and involve death, near death, love, hate, food, a viking or two and many take a few days to tell.... This is my saga.

Its a really good idea to be in a great mood all day when something is not going to go right... Something so simple can go a bit wrong... The Netherlands tour group i passed on the my morning hill climb invited me to join them on their walk to a waterfall and then onto the icelake. Sounds great, but i have to catch the 3,30pm bus. No worries so do they. They put my luggage with theirs and say their drivers will put it all on the bus and the bus will get us all from the Ice lake. Everything is sweet.

So we catch the bus over one of the glacier rivers to the start of our walk to the waterfall. Dandy. We walk in but soon we have to cross some streams of very cold water and of course i don´t want to get my boots wet and you can´t cross without shoes. But this tour group are well organised with second shoes for getting wet. They loan me a pair and i manage to cross. Just wonderfull. The waterfall is just magic. We have to again walk up the stream and climb over rocks to get to the fall, but once there it is just loverly. I´m under the fall of the waterfall, its only small, but the high mountain walls are covered in green moss...and the water flows through a small opening at the top. Its a great walk and i was so please i was invited...

I´m still having a great day. What could go wrong?

We make our way back and head towards the ice lake . At the rate we are walking I know we´ll not make the lake, but no drama its been a great day... We don´t make the lake, but the bus stops on the road to collect us. There are two busses going back as so many people. The 1st one keeps going and the second one stops. We all climb aboard, happy laughing and please withourselves. I´m stopped. There are two drivers. One for the tour group and one to get them across the glacier rivers. Now the drivers know i´m not part of the tour group and they say i have to get off the bus... I think no problem when the tour group leader gets here she´ll sort this out... She can´t. she is speachless... not good when she is Icelandic and so are the two drivers kicking me of the bus..

Now this might not sound too much like a problem. But I´m and my luggage are removed from the bus and to be left on the side of the road. Great I could walk back to the camping, but i have to cross the Glacier river, its 5kms (the river is about 1/2 wide and ice cold) and i don´t have my luggage in a backpack, but just a duffel bag. I do point out to the driver that its not such a great idea to leave me in the middle of the road with no way of getting across the river. I´m told get the next bus... when is the next bus...don´t know maybe tomorrow... I´m not that fussed about having to stay, but i really do need help in getting across the river... I´m thinking hitching across a river would be novel, but i don´t like my chances...

The reason i'm off the bus is because its full. The fine for the driver to have an extra person in 10,000kn. There are too many people to take back...as it is 6 people have been left at camping due to no room... I say happy to stay, but i can´t get to camping without help... Still the lady tour guide is speachless. One of the drivers is calling his office to find out when the next bus will be... everyone is now on the bus and i´m in the middle of the road,.... There is no way the bus is going to drive me across the river, its running late to met another bus and handover 8 passengers... its engine is running and the 1st driver is trying to get his co-driver on the bus and leave... I´m alone in the middle of the road...

Then someone has a really bright idea...re-count the seats.... can you believe that there is one seat left...What a relief... I´m welcomed on board and off we go...

There is just no way i was going to let the bus drive off... I needed to find a way of making it take me or drive me over the river. In hindsight I know that the best think i could have done was to offer to pay the fine... Ouch $200Aust... but better than being left between two glacier rivers you can´t cross...

We get back safe and sound. I tell the driver i understand his issue with the overloading, he is a bit coy but i think appreciated me speaking to him... I get my bike and ride of to the camping ground... The sun is now out. It´s cold but a nice everning