Ah, Iceland. The land of northern lights, Sigur Ros whalesongs, relaxing hot springs and sour ram’s testicles.
Iceland’s overwhelmingly gorgeous landscapes was what attracted National Geographic photographer Aaron Lim to the country — he’d always dreamed of returning after a work trip in 2009. Fast forward seven years, and Lim flew back to Iceland to fulfil his dream of touring the breathtaking Nordic island country on two wheels. Specifically, on a bicycle. Specifically, a foldable Bike Friday Tikit.
Having done some bike touring before in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, he was no mere newcomer to holding solo expeditions. But Iceland — with its arctic winds, harsh weather conditions and rough gravel roads — was a whole other story for Lim.
Staying determined, Lim packed light, with his camping tent and other necessary gear squeezed into his bike’s saddle bags, and took off. Challenging it may be, but from what Lim wrote on the Bike Friday blog, it was worth the effort.
“Despite the harsh weather, Iceland is a beautiful country to cycle. So much Nature surrounds you. The landscapes seem so surreal ranging from volcanic landscapes , fjords that look so majestic, and of course massive glaciers that take your breath away! Best part is there are times where there isn’t much vehicles and it’s only me and mother nature.”
He clocked a total of 2,000km on his bike before he was forced to bus it for the rest of his journey, due to news of a potential earthquake. Nonetheless, major props to the man for having the guts to cycle alone around the often-remote landscapes of Iceland — and on a foldable bike, no less.
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