D3 Iceland - South Coast of Iceland

Morning view of Stracta Hotel

We had delicious and fulfilling breakfast before leaving our hotel. I took photos of the hot tubs and sauna that we used the night before. It was beautiful, wasn't it? Made of wood, it looked so natural and cosy :) And yes, that was the van that we took for our tour at the southern part of Iceland these past few days.

Group photo courtesy of Francis Lew - Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Our guide cum driver was named Inggo, a tall, young, and strong Icelandic man who told us lots of fable from Iceland throughout our journey, the one who stood directly behind me :) And yes, the photo taken was with the background of the magnificent 60-meter high Seljalandsfoss waterfall, our first stop for the day!

Jump pose at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall - South Coast of Iceland :)

Footpath behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall - Iceland

Unlike other waterfalls in Iceland, here it was possible for us to walk behind it (see the photo above), via a footpath at the base of the cliff. It was wet, stony and slippery though. So, a good waterproof hiking shoes were really needed!!! And I was amazed on how my Mom would be able to walk through it!! Well done Mom!! :)

Other waterfalls next to Seljalandsfoss waterfall :)

In panoramic view - Seljalandsfoss waterfalls - Iceland

And there were other few waterfalls next to it as shown in the two photos above :)

Icelandic horses on the move :)

On our way, we passed by through many beautiful view on our left and right. I loved the view of Icelandic horses running freely in a small group, so free and natural :)

Icelandic turf house - connected to stones

We also passed by many Icelandic turf house like shown at the photo above. Too bad we did not have any chance to visit and see how it looked like.

"The common Icelandic turf house would have a large foundation made of flat stones; upon this was built a wooden frame which would hold the load of the turf. The turf would then be fitted around the frame in blocks often with a second layer, or in the more fashionable herringbone style. The only external wood would be the doorway which would often be decorative; the doorway would lead in to the hall which would commonly have a great fire. Another interesting aspect of the Icelandic turf house was the introduction of attached toilets, which were communal, and the act of going to the attached toilet was often done in large groups. The floor of a turf house could be covered with wood, stone or earth depending on the purpose of the building. They also contain grass on their roofs."- Source: Wikipedia.org

Skógafoss waterfall - Iceland

We visited another beautiful waterfall called Skógafoss waterfall - a 60-meter high waterfall in the Skógá River. Legend said there was buried treasures (chest of gold) by the settler called Þrasi Þórólfsson in a cave behind this waterfall.

View of the Skógafoss waterfall upper part :)

At the upper part of Skógafoss waterfall - where the waterfalls came from :)

Here, there were staircases where we all could go up and see where the waterfall came from. So I guess, the above photo was the Skógá River itself. Oh my!!! It looked so wonderful!! So pretty!!! Love it so much!!! :)

Reynisfjara or Black Beach at Vik Village - Iceland

From there, we continued our journey to see the unique black sand/ pebble beach called Reynisfjara located at Vik Village, south coast of Iceland. The beach was named by International Islands magazine in 1991 as one of the ten best beach in the world. Perhaps due to its uniqueness where all the pebbles and sands were black in color.

Eldhraun Lava Field - Iceland

We had lunch afterwards and continued our journey across the Eldhraun lava field.

"This impressive lava field the biggest lava flow in the world which occurred during the Laki eruption in the late 1700s. The enormous site which is 565 square kilometers (218 sq mi) is where the Apollo 11 crew came to train for their impending moonwalk."- Source: icelandtravel.is

"The thick green moss dressing the lava wipes out all hard edges and, for a while, the world exists only in the colors of the asphalt, the sky, and the moss."- Source: icelandmag.visir.is/

 It felt simply amazing just passing through this huge area. There was no one staying as the area not suitable for living.

More waterfalls throughout the journey - South Coast of Iceland

More waterfalls - South Coast of Iceland

Iceland was truly rich of natural resources. As we passed by, more waterfalls were to be seen on our left side. Simply grateful with the beautiful view it offered!!!

Skeiðarársandur or vast sand desert - South Coast of Iceland

We passed by the Skeiðarársandur - a vast sand desert that used to be farms before, but destroyed by huge floods caused by the volcanic eruption that came beneath the Vatnajökull glacier back in 1996. It was so huge until it swept the bridge away and disconnected the Ring Road to eastern side of Iceland. It was said to be the largest Sandur (outwash plain) in the world covering an area of 1,300 km sq.

Panoramic view from the top - Jökulsárlón or glacier river lagoon - Iceland

The journey continued on. We were brought to Jökulsárlón or glacier river lagoon, a large glacial lake in southeast of Iceland. Many movies had been using this place for their background, such as: Lara Croft: Tomb Rider, Batman Begins, and 2 James Bond's films, which were A View to Kill and Die Another Day.

Beautiful glacier lagoon - Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Tried licking the glacier hahaha.... :P - Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Tasted the floating ice - I know.. the water looked dirty, but who cared??? :D

Wishing stones - wish for dreams to come true.... :)

My friend and I were having so much fun there. Licked the glacier pose was fun! Inggo helped us taking the photo and we were just laughing with our stupidity there! Hahahahaha..... :P We tried the taste of the glacier ice too :) Although the glacier lagoon looked dirty, but who cared, right? Hehehe... And while my friend was busy taking photos, I was busy building the wishing stones :) It was at the back of my mind wishing to have chance to build it and the chance was just there waiting for me :) Thank you SB for granting my wish!! I was very happy to finally have my dream came true there!! Thank you, thank you, and thank you!!! :)

Expression of my happiness by being there!!! Grateful!!! :)

Glacier lagoon at the black beach - Iceland

Amazing view that can not get it too often in life!!! You only live once!!! :)

Add one stone at the top of someone else' wishing stones :D

Group photo at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon - Iceland

We did not finish there. Inggo brought us to the black beach nearby where we could spot the glacier there too. Oh my!!! Icelanders were very lucky staying in their country. For us, it might be a once in a lifetime experience to be here. But they could view this beautiful scenery as and when they felt like doing it!! I was very grateful though for the opportunity given. Thanks to my parents who made this trip possible!!! Without them, I might take much longer time to realize this dream :) Thank you, thank you, and thank you Pa, Ma!!! :)

Stayed and dinner at Hotel Smyrlabjörg 

After a very long day, we finally reached our hotel - Hotel Smyrlabjörg. Some of us ordered our dinner there while some made their own food at the hotel. I had fish again - one of the two fresh and delicious food in Iceland (either fish or lamb). Ma and Pa shared the lobster soup and lamb steak. My friend and I shared another beer - their own brand - Smyrlabjörg Beer. It was bitter though! But nice try! :) Overall, we had a wonderful day in Iceland. A bit tired, but worth it!!! Will continue the journey in a while... Hope you enjoy reading it and are patiently waiting :D