There are angels in Iceland

In a country that believes in the existence of fairies and elves, we instead met angels. And how!

- BUM D. TENORIO, JR.

The icy breeze at the base camp of Langjokull Glacier in Iceland on Oct. 30, 2024 provided serenity to the place. Branches of leafless trees were in salutation to the mountain of ice before them. The mid-afternoon sun provided no heat, what with its soft, yellowish rays seemingly trapped in the clouds.

It was quiet, except of course for the sound of excitement from a number of tourists waiting for their ride to Langjokull Glacier, whose highest point is recorded at 1,450 meters above sea level.

My best friend Christine Dayrit and I, after wearing our glacier boots over our shoes and our glacier jackets provided by the tour company, eagerly lined up to board the heated eight-wheeler truck. There were about 30 guests riding the truck, with 13 passengers coming from our Filipino group. At 12:24 p.m., we started our two-hour ascent to the glacier.

Iceland, our tour guide said when we resumed the trek, is not only about Aurora borealis and waterfalls. It's also about fairies and elves. Many of them, he said, live in the glacier mountain. Even National Geographic reported that 54 percent of Iceland's population of 300,000 people "believe in elves or say it's possible fairies and elves exist."

The night before, we chased the Aurora borealis and in two occasions, we found them. The following day, anticipation warmed us anew as we got ready for our glacier tour.

At 2:23 p.m., at negative 11 degrees, we reached Langjokull Glacier. It was peaceful, except for the momentary whirring wail of the wind. Christine and I were childlike as we readied ourselves to spot a fairy or an elf when we entered the glacier cave of Langjokull through a small cavity that could fit only one body—and only when entering the cave bent.