Ice, fire and light

(First of two parts)

To see the Northern Lights, it helps to have no man-made lights as distraction. A clear, inky-black sky enhances not just the aurora borealis but also the brilliance of the stars.

Winter near the Arctic Circle, when the sun disappears, is the best time for aurora watching.

Alas, the first snow of winter fell in Iceland on my first full day there last month, heralding the start of the season. With the snow came occasional showers and thick clouds.

All I saw of the Northern Lights was a shaft of light in the early evening sky over Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, white and steady instead of dancing in a stunning display of colors.

Wowie Cruz poses a la Justin Bieber in front of Seljalandsfoss Waterfall.

Despite that disappointment, in the land of fire and ice, one learns to appreciate the play of light – and its absence.

Light reflected on the hot springs of Iceland, which are rich in silica from the bowels of the planet combined with unique algae, turns the water blue. The springs offer a rejuvenating and healing environment for numerous afflictions.

The algae mask in the Blue Lagoon didn’t heal my afflictions, but my cheeks turned rosy. I undoubtedly felt the fatigue from the grueling daylong trip from Manila to Reykjavik wash away from me as I soaked in the man-made lagoon, fed by water output from a nearby geothermal power plant.

As memorable as the blue water is the complete absence of light and therefore color. The otherworldly experience in the Lava Tunnel, formed over 5,000 years ago from cooling magma after a volcanic eruption, is not for the claustrophobic or those with weak knees. Wearing shoe cleats and miner’s helmet with a lamp, we clambered gingerly on the volcanic rocks made even more dangerous by a layer of slippery ice. Through the dim light we could see red stria on the cave walls. Scientists are studying whether the iron oxide, according to our guide, could be similar to what is found on Mars, the red planet.

Does Mars look like this? Filipino visitors enjoy the Lava Tunnel.

There are clearings along the tunnel from where the claustrophobic can look up to the sky and breathe the wintry air. At the end of the tunnel that is accessible to the public, however, our guide told us to close our eyes. When we opened them again moments later, all the manmade lights had been switched off. We blinked, placed our hands in front of our eyes, waited for our eyes to adjust. But this is real pitch-black, the guide said; the eyes will never adjust to this absence of light and will eventually go blind.

Then he asked us to be silent for 10 seconds. The stillness was primeval; I could hear a drop of water hitting the rock. This was how it had been in the tunnel, the guide said, for the past 5,600 years. At least once in your life you have to experience this precious silence.

Eyjafjallajokull

As in the Blue Lagoon that is rich in healthful minerals, the unique ecosystem in the Lava Tunnel has allowed microorganisms to thrive in the cave. The guide said the organisms, visible in artificial light as white microbial patches, are harvested for the manufacture of antibiotics.

Rose Levy-Oliveros of Levy Travel & Tours, Nila Layug of Icelandair, Joie Alberto of Ark Travel, actress Sheryl Cruz, Marjorie Anazawa and Valerie Santillan of Levy Travel and Tours, with silica and algae masks, enjoy the Blue Lagoon.

Iceland opened the Lava Tunnel and began charging a fee last year after noticing the millennia-old lava straws hanging like reedy icicles from the ceiling disappearing. Souvenir hunters were pelting the ceilings with rocks to collect the straws. There were also numerous reports of visitors being injured.

Today the number of visitors is regulated. A metal walkway has been installed for the tour and various spots are cordoned off with rope.

Iceland has been scrambling to promote sustainable tourism after seeing a surge in visitors in recent years. The number began rising after the 2010 eruption of the volcano whose name non-Icelanders can’t pronounce – Eyjafjallajokull (in Filipino pronunciation, that’s Eya-fyatla-yoogoot) – which disrupted flights all over Europe. Learning the pronunciation has become part of the appeal.

The volcano, topped by a glacier, can be seen from the main highway of the Golden Circle. 

Nila Layug of Icelandair / Royal Nordic Tours poses at the mid- Atlantic Ridge where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia meet, at Thingvellir National Park.

Not to be missed is the mid-Atlantic Ridge where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia meet. The plates are being pulled apart by nearly an inch every year, creating the Rift Valley at the Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A path has been cleared along the rift, sloping down to a clearing where Viking settlers had set up Europe’s oldest parliament, Althingi, in the 10th century. If the natural amphitheater looks familiar, with a high rock wall in the background, it’s because this is one of the settings for the hit TV series “Game of Thrones.” Near this spot is the Oxararfoss Waterfall, where locals say women used to be drowned for various offenses including adultery (in which the men were spared punishment) in the Middle Ages.

Sustainable tourism

The TV series has drawn hordes of tourists to Iceland, compelling the government to rope off popular sites and regulate the entry of visitors to natural attractions such as the Blue Lagoon and the Lava Tunnel.

Hit music videos of Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber’s “Cold Water” and “I’ll Show You” added to the appeal of the country. But Icelanders have had to stop foreigners from trying to copy everything that Bieber did in the videos. Folks, don’t trample on the moss covering the lava rocks; it takes ages for the moss to thrive. The rivers and lakes of Iceland are sub-polar; even locals generally avoid swimming half-naked like Bieber in the freezing waters. And that’s a steep drop overlooking the majestic Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. Even if you have a bevy of security escorts like Bieber probably did during the video shoot, posing near the edge of that drop is not safe, especially when the powerful winds of Iceland are blowing.

Women who broke laws used to be drowned at the Oxararfoss Waterfall, according to Iceland Travel guide Sigrun Eiriksdottir. Yes, the surname means she is the daughter of a guy named Eirik.

For an equally unique experience, just take the short but rocky hike to the back of the falls. But the wind and spray can leave you drenched and shivering from the cold; be sure to bring waterproof apparel.

At the spectacular two-tiered Gullfoss Waterfalls, the wind was so powerful we worried about being blown away. So after photos were hurriedly taken, we took shelter in the restaurant at the site, where we enjoyed decadent chocolate cake and good coffee.