Naturally, much has unfolded on our journey since I last wrote 11 days ago, but to sum up what we have done since then: we have hitchhiked/hiked over 600 kilometers and camped out in our tent for most of these nights, cooked ourselves one meal per day over a campfire, hitched some extremely memorable and fun car-rides from all different types of people from all over the world, hung out underneath 2 beautiful, massive waterfalls, conquered the eastfjords, hiked up a 1000 meter crater, eaten approximately 2 jars of peanut butter by the spoonful, stumbled upon a thriving community vegetable garden during one of our walks and feasted on all types of organic green goods, and we have connected with some of the most kindred, beautiful human beings on Earth.
Right now we are couchsurfing in a town called Hofn (pronounced "Hup"... this language is crazy) which lies on the southeast coast. Our host is Agata, a 19 year-old girl who moved here from Poland last year. Her flat is so warm and cozy-- it's the perfect escape from all this rainy weather we've had lately. Agata has this incredible, contagious energy, it's such a blessing that we got to stay with her. She is so independent and her story is so inspiring, she told us that she spent June-August of 2011 hitchhiking alone from Poland to Denmark (she slept on benches at petrol stations everynight!) then she took the ferry from Denmark to Iceland so that she could work here for 2 years, she plans to go back home to her family in 2013. She is hosting us even though she works 12-hour shifts 6 days a week (no joke! this chick is hardworking) at the Hotel down the road. She got home at midnight last night and we all stayed up until 2:00 am sharing stories of our adventures and the random acts of kindness that we've encountered along the way.
We all agreed that Vagabond-style travel (traveling minimally and simply and spontaneously and free of plans and expectations) has the ability to reveal the most beautiful face of life and humanity to you-- when you trust 100% that the universe will take care of you in an unfamiliar place, it's as if the universe conspires to make the most unpredictable, magical and beautiful things align themselves to happen just for YOU!
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