The idea all started in a cramped 50 square meter high-rise condominium, dead center of the Metropolis that is Bangkok. It was decided that we were to leave the hustle and bustle of big city and book a flight to somewhere far, somewhere that would bring joyous tears to our eyes everywhere we looked. The search for beauty and grandiose was on.
There were many wonderful destinations to pick from. We bickered and gave each other Powerpoint presentations in our heads about which place would be best, but we eventually ended up with The Land of the Midnight Sun. And the only way to experience this majestic nation was to road trip it and camp along the way. We felt like teenagers again, about to explore something that was relatively unknown to us.
Daylight was on our side; we took our time and appreciated every road curve that revealed a glorious view of the lush greenery of the snowcapped mountains on our Norwegian road trip. Waterfalls came gushing down on either side of the E6 motorway that runs from North to South of Norway. It was as if the stunning views were trying to outdo each other as we drove through them. We were simply spectators to Mother Nature’s greatest achievement.
Most of the journey was to just go with the flow, although we had a couple of adventures that the trip was planned around: kayaking and glacier walk was on the agenda. The ice-cold chill was completely welcomed as it juxtaposed our over-bearing life back home. Each stroke of the paddle through the Styggevatnet lake was a jab at what we left behind – temporarily anyway. Once we reached the mouth of the Austdalsbreen Glacier and clamped on our crampons, our mouths became a little dryer and self-doubt began to creep in. Was this safe? Is this doable? Has there been an accident before? After the first few initial baby steps, it was clear – although this might not be the proverbial ‘walk in the park’ – that we were as safe as we could be with the right pros guiding us over this epic mass of 1000-odd year old glacier.
The trip wouldn’t have been complete without a pit-stop off at the Geirangerfjord, home of the thundering waters of the Seven Sisters Waterfall. Camping overnight and listening to the sounds of nature rumbling all night long with only a sheet of tent material between you and the outside world is really something that needs to be felt.
The Norwegian road trip surpassed our wildest expectations. We eagerly await the right time of year again to retrace as well as reroute through the meandering splendor.
Content creator that focuses on high caliber photography and videos. Specializes in lifestyle, portrait, headshot and holiday photography. Tom has shot exclusively for Tourism Authority of Thailand and regional brands such as Heineken Asia, Avani Hotel and Genting Highlands Resorts. No client is too big or too small. He has a background in hospitality and looks forward to meeting new people from all around the world. Fluent in English and Thai.