The toughest man.

Imagine you live on one of the most remote spots in Europe. You tend your sheep farm, as your parents before you. Then, one slippery winter day you slide off the steep road leading away from the wind blown bay where you manage to make a living.

You are paralysed waist down, after a miraculous survival. Your insurance company refuse to pay up. Everybody expect you to succumb, move to town, get the social services and benefits where the system wants you. So that is what you do, 'cause your name is not Ástþór Skúlason. He is a stayer. The toughest man I have ever met.

The farm Melanes has the exceptional view of Europes longest bird cliff, towards Latrabjarg.

Àsthor slaugthering a ram.

Fresh testicles.

No wonder it is called Raudisandir - Red Sands. 

Be safe.

Iceland's Wild West

It was late in the season, but I pushed on and reached Làtrabjarg, which is the end of the road in Europe when you go west. Few people inhabit this part of Iceland and I got to know a fine selection of them. They brought me to search for stray sheep before they were sent off to the slaughterhouse. I can't imagine you get better meat than this.

Panoramic view of Làtrabjarg, an amazing bird cliff and Europe's westernmost point.

Be warned, this could easily be a literally DEAD END. Well, the road surely is. 

Eyvi and Jacob took me sheep spotting.

The ocean is 300 meters below.

Borgar, a most peculiar guy in an isolated farm introduced me to some of his skills and interests. Making window frames from driftwood, restoring tractors and bulldozers, making the finest hangikjøt you can dream of. This is sheep meat hung in the smoke of sheep shit. Yes, you heard me. And it tastes like heaven. Check it out in this episode of Paul i Vesterled - Pauls heads Westwards.

Borgar lives here, opposite Patreksfjord town. As he says; "Maybe it is not worse than anywhere else".

Hangikjøt made by Borgar. Meat does not get any better than this.

Enjoy!

Big trucks in Iceland

Gunnar's Econoline

Icelands first television sets were installed after the US base in Keflavik was established and they started broadcasting the kind of stuff the USAnians are served by their broadcasters. Iceland did not produce until much later, and this is probably an important factor shaping the Icelandic culture. They are much more "americanised" than the rest of the Nordic countries, and differs greatly from Norway when it comes to experiencing nature. Where we would walk, they drive.

rush our traffic jam in the mountains ... Click the images!

Gunnar Birgisson - my kind of guy!

Why walk when you may race?

ATV fun x 2

Paul Olai-Olssen dressed up.

Welcome to the Machine

Horse power is the magical word. Monster trucks. Big wheels. ATV's. Their complete fascination for these noisy machines is in total contrast to the love of the Icelandic horse, which is more up my alley. Conflicts between these two groups of "horselovers" are frequent, as far as i experienced, the situation is rather clear cut. You love the animal or the machine. In this episode, it is all about the machine.

Gunnar Birgisson is totally local!

Stripped of their engines and horse powers...

Icelandic men...

... are not men at all. I mean, they love to play. They are surprisingly childish and do not take themselves very seriously. At least none of the numerous guys I was lucky to get to know.
    As always, men behave more relaxed and are generally more fun when women are not around, that is a universal fact, but the interesting thing about these fellows, is that they may look like a bunch of brutes at first glance, which they soon prove not to be at all. Just overgrown kids, basically. Great to be around. Helpful, caring and considerate. Experimenting, daring and drinking. Problem solving and self ironic.

Atop Tindfjöll the easy way.

Paul Olai-Olssen in a leaking outfit.

Gunnar Birgisson the cave man.

Gunnar as cave man

Gunnar Birgisson had more to show me. Let me explain that I first met him on the Faroes, where he and a bunch of guys arrived by zodiacs, after crossing from Iceland. A mad venture, obviously. He told me that he could fix and arrange whatever I wanted to in Iceland, if I wanted to come. I wanted to come. He fixed things. And we naturally became good friends. Gunnar is a one-of-a-kind kind of person.
    "I have more to show you," he told me. "Come on, it is going to be fun!" I knew Gunnar by then, so I was naturally sceptical. My death wish is very, very weak, and the expression in his face made it clear that what he had in mind was more than a walk in the park. Have a look at the video below. I am not going to tell where it is, as people are not encouraged to go there. If you do, please bring rope, helmet and a non leaking dry suit!



And that was all for for now. Next episode next week. Here's the sunset over Vestmannaeyjar:

Have a good journey!

Diving in Dahab I

My first encounter under water - just snorkelling, not even scuba-diving!

Jim pointed upwards ...

Dahab is a far more relaxed and laid-back dive site than Sharm el Sheik, which is also situated in Sinai. Formerly known for pot-smoking and hippies, the place is still easy going and welcoming, teaming with diving activities. "Teaming" might be somewhat exaggerated, by the way, as tourism is still low following the revolution and unrest in the northern part of Sinai. I am sorry on behalf of the locals that live off this industry, but happy for the coral reef, that enjoy a small break from intensive diving.

yep - an elephant submerged

I arrived by night bus from Cairo with my friend Haneen and we settled in the famed Beshi-Beshi camp. The first day we spent snorkelling at the blue hole. Water temperature is at the lowest at this time of the year, but still well above 20 degrees Celcius. The very first thing I bumped into was a huge turtle, which let me swim along until I was out of breath.

A well camouflaged ugly bastard...

… next to a lion fish

Learning to dive before she can swim!

I like it when I get to photograph ...

… the fish facing me!

In our second day, Haneen - who yet do not know how to swim - did a introduction dive with a great guide. He carefully monitored my skills on my first dive before giving me Jim as a buddy and letting us explore the area around the lighthouse. This spot is pretty much in the centre of town, but there were fish everywhere. Nothing big, but nice stuff. The wether was surprisingly much hotter than in Cairo and the wind was still, so we had really good conditions.

In the evening, we paid a modest 100 EGP (barely 13 Euro) per person going on a ATV-safari up in the wadi between the cracked mountains, where dinner were prepared beduin style. Lots of good food under the moon and the stars, and some jolly guides singing songs for us before the return. Very touristic, for sure, but fun and nice, with no stress or hurry to anything. My bike needed a few fixes on the way (leaking gasoline and no head lights), but in this country you can make miracles with a string and a wire.

Dusty after ATV-safari. Mainly me, driving behind ...

Total stress-less!  :o)

 I will tell you more in the next post, this is only to give a taste of what is so easily available, at a very reasonable price.

OK, here's the turtle again:

Still afraid of Egypt? Don't be! I feel as safe here as at home.

Sailing to Iceland

We "clicked" immediately

What makes a big difference from one life to another, is each individual's ability to react to opportunities. I believe that an interesting life depends on profiting from surprising possibilities that sometimes appear from seemingly nowhere. Or from a small sailboat, like in Thorshavn in the Faroes, the day Magnar showed up.

"Can I get a lift?"

My plan was to go to Iceland, I just had not figured out how. When the charming "Mevinn" moored in Thorshavn, and the solo sailor aboard would let me come along, the problem was solved before it even became one.

in memory of Magnar Grødem

I was lucky, not only to get an adventure under sail, but to get to know a young man who followed his dream. Magnar named his boat "Mevinn", which he explained as a spelling of the Norwegian word "medvind" in his local dialect. It means "tail wind" in English. When I think of Magnar, however, I like to think of another meaning of the word, also derived from his dialect. "We win". And I do believe that Magnar, and other people who follow their heart, win. There can be no losers when you stand up for your desires and do what you know is right for you, just as Magnar did.

Magnar only got to be 30 years old. He is lost at sea, after kayaking north of Stavanger not long after this episode was recorded. His kayak was found, but what actually happened remains a mystery.

The family got to see the episode only after his assumed death, and approved with the way Magnar is shown. They also agreed to include the raw interview from the boat, which follows below.

As I later understood from his twin brother, Magnar was not much of a talker, but during five days at sea he could not escape my questions. So, mostly for friends and family, with no subtitles and crude edit, here is 25 minutes of small talk in the boat.

Sail in peace, Magnar.

Tough Currents and Women

       (Please do click on these - and all other - photos in my blog, to see them bigger!!!)

Good guy...

the "harbour"

Mykines north face

IMPOSSIBLE TO LEAVE?

"Today nobody gets away from Mykines," one of the elders said, overlooking the heavy swells that sent cascades of foam shooting up in the air. The small boat landing had the Atlantic delivering series of waves, making the bay white, breaking over shallows and cliffs.
    He did not know what a kayak can do.

tidal map

    "I will get out," I said, and pointed to an opening in the pattern of waves.
    "You might get out, but you will never get back," another old-timer commented in a factual voice.
    "You're right about that," I answered.

This is how people are on the Faroes. They know the sea. They do not express unnecessary worries. They trust your decisions. But as many islanders I have met in other parts, they care for you and help you, when help is needed. I assume this is an islanders specialty, and that it has always been like that out here, where you never know who will be in dire straits next.
    Today it is my turn, and I have to do my counting right.

the gorge with the rocks

TODAYS CHALLENGE

Firstly, I need to get into the water without being washed in by the breakers. Secondly I must get out into open sea. Thirdly I need to analyse the rhythm of the bigger waves, in order to pass through a narrow gorge that split Mykines from Holmur (where the tunnel in the former episode runs parallel to this canyon). Last but not least, I need to do this in time to get along the north side of the island and back east, crossing the open stretch back to the rest of the Faroes during the change of tide. If I am too late, I simply do not know where I will end up.

I have rarely kayaked as hard as I did that day. Something went wrong with my calculations of the countercurrents on the north side of Mykines. Nevertheless I reached the town Vestmanna, where I got to know a wonderful bunch of Women, most notably Mia.

NORTH COAST

Can you sense the complete awesomeness?

Further north, I skirt the most hostile coast you can imaging, but under perfect conditions. Caves, cliffs, free standing monoliths and finally the small fisherman's village of Gjógv, from where their men has set out to sea in their small boats. Many would never return.

The route followed in this program more than any other, taught me that the best way - by far the best way - to experience the grandeur of the Faroes, is by kayak. See it yourself, and feel free to share or comment if you find it worthy.

It felt unreal to experience such perfect conditions.

Henk again

This weeks extra video is simply the lovely Henk again. He found this harmonica in a shop, in France I believe, and had to buy it. For weeks the instrument was at display in his cabin, before he got the courage to start and play. We had such a good time together in his boat. This is the kind of friendships you get, when you travel alone.

Safe travels!

Life on Mykines

Ten people live here. Only one tiny pier protect the boat landing from the open Atlantic, all other sides of the island are steep bird cliffs. It is simply an extremely extreme place, but ever so beautiful. Eight months of the year, plus stormy days in summer, they rely on helicopter to reach the bigger islands to the east. To the west, there's only the sea.

The houses in the village are mainly abandoned in wintertime. 

Katrina

Tourists coming here are mainly those who can afford to be "grounded" a day or two in bad weather. It is of course a dream come true for ornithologists or the average adventurer, but even most faroese people have not made the effort to see this awesome place, where you can get a bed and some grub in Kristianshus. They only have 35 beds, so booking is a good idea in high season. Katrina will take well care of you.

The making of an art gallery and a studio, along with a small hotel are in the process, but I do not know how far the work has come. Anyone know, please add info in the comments, and I will fill in fresh facts here.

Esbern

I visited the island at three occasions back in 2009, for the puffin hunting (see episode 1),  Kristians Blaks concert (episode 4) and as part of the circumnavigation. Kayaking out here was unreal, as conditions were very favourable. Even so, I had two of the most dramatic experiences I ever had in a kayak out here, you will see one of them in this episode, and the other in the next. I never intended to be a "first timer", but as you will see in the program, I went were no man has been before. Kind of by accident. I really did not intend to do it, believe me - but I was sucked into it, literally ...

An old breed of sheep thrive on the green hills.

This weeks scrap-video:

True to new habit, I'll give you a bonus video. This one comes with no subtitles, but it is hardly needed, as the hoisting of fuel barrels and peculiar stairway-elevator speaks for themselves.

As you can see, Esbern and Katrina are totally dedicated to life on their island - as long as the kids also like it - but they sure have a bucketful of challenges in their daily life. How they cope through long hard winters, with a new storm thundering in with each low pressure, is more than I understand. But they have personalities built to endure.

Thanks so much for your hospitality and help and good luck with building a Mykines for the future!


... and here's the short bonus feature: