Up to now I’ve found the best way to deal with jetlag to be a couple of gin and tonics (“Easy on the tonic there”) and an Ambien sleeping pill in the British Airways lounge just as we get called for boarding.
Typically my chemically induced sleep overtakes me as the airplane climbs out of Seattle and turns East looking for the sun. With a bit of luck next thing I know is the clunk as the landing gear comes down as we approach Heathrow.
Yes, I know you’re not supposed to take Ambien with alcohol, but this works for me. My helpful doctor even marked the prescription with “For The Treatment Of Jet Lag.” It says it right on the pill bottle.
While it might not be quite as effective in defeating jetlag, I now have a more natural alternative that prepared me very well for a 7 ½ hour flight to Seattle.
The bus from Reykjavík to the airport takes about an hour. The road takes you across the Rekjanes peninsular and passes through a very stark, but beautiful, mesmerizing landscape formed by the lava flow of a long forgotten eruption.
I live in a place full of trees and the only greenery on the drive to Keflavik is the lichen living on the rocks themselves.
But rather conveniently the busses will take a short detour off the main road and drop you off at the Blue Lagoon. A large pool filled with milky-blue water at a little over 100f (38c). It’s a windy place, but once you are out of the changing rooms and into the water it’s perfect.
There is quite the ritual to these places in Iceland, and there are a series of pictures letting you know that you shower before you put your loaner swimmers on. After showering and rinsing it’s time to make the short dash between changing room and opaque sea water.
After two hours of soaking, sauna, steam room and quite a lot more soaking we were ready for the long flight to Seattle. Well, almost. Another day would have been nice, but isn’t that always the case?
Is it busy, full of tourists? Yes rather, but the feeling of being that relaxed, with our skin exfoliated and every bit as soft as promised in the brochure, is well worth it. The worst bit is getting out and dealing with the 50 degree difference in temperature as you run into the changing rooms.
In other words, it was awesome.
