With one more night left at YHA Bergen, I thought it time to enjoy some cuisine of Norway… well, knowing the price of food in Oslo, I assumed Flam was going to be one damned expensive place. I ended up just going to one of the supermarkets where the typical food seemed not to be able to be represented by a typical Aussie supermarket. So many tubes of paste as replacements from the solids.
This was the day that I found a huge milk bottle and a Jamaican who claimed to be a sensational chess player, or at least the best in the Caribbean. Apparently he was trying to get enough money to fly back home to his sick dad, this was to be done by playing chess with passerbys on the street… typically from tourists.
Getting back to the hostel, my swipe card could not work the door to my room. Getting to the reception, they said that they had double booked and accidentally forgotten to put my name back in. After being refunded they tried to suggest other places that I could go to. Emphasizing my difficulty, the receptionist could not even find accommodation for me… that was affordable. The end result: pretend to be sitting around watching TV and bunk out in the lounge room. Having my packs tucked in a hidden spot, I was able to convince the receptionist to put some note on a system and email it to the owner/ boss of the place.
1am. A guy was still watching TV and smelling like a 10 year old heavily used chimney. Shouting outside got smoker and my attention. 3 locals were abusing each other and yelling, considering they were skinny looking runts they had shouts like Vikings. They actually went about giving each other proper punches and headbutting. After 10 minutes of fighting, the ring of sirens got their attention, after one of them throwing up they all laughed and ran away. Smoker left.
3am. “Wake up!” Security was doing the rounds. I informed them of the situation, with little belief, I told them to contact YHA’s owner. 2 minutes later he hung up and said “Goodnight.”
7am. Departure. Making it to the ferry, I was able to buy the ferry ticket to Flam, I think it was a good price. To get to Flam one needs to go on a ferry through Sognefjorden, the steepest fjord in the world. The ride was pretty awesome, great for anyone who would ever want to go to Norway.
Spending a couple of days in Flam seemed appropriate to see what nature had on offer. Not much to do for more than a couple of days… simply a place to relax. There were quite a few dolphins skimming the bay to Flam, the waterfalls falling from near the top of the cliffsides. The next couple of days was used just casually walking around the area and not buying any expensive beverages…
Amidst all the beauty, a waterproof jacket really does help out.
