Hunting The Light - Part VI ( The end)

Last day of my trip with Hurtigruten MS Polarlys. I arrived 30 minutes late than scheduled at Kirkenes, which I didn't mind at all, at least I had more time to spend on the boat.

As instructed on the paper the night before, I had dropped my luggage to the nearest elevator on my level, so I only need to carry my 16-kg camera bag, plus my all-in hobo bag with me (I was over charged with things I carried with me). Tell me I if I am stupid, but I don't care, I skipped the breakfast, which is already included to the price of my room, instead I waited at the cafetaria until the waffle was ready, of course accompanied with the super good hot chocolate, and why I said I was stupid, because I had to pay for them from my own pocket.

Arrived at Kirkenes, I found my luggage outside the port, right next to the bus stop, and no one touch or steal it (hey, I was in Norway per say LOL). I took the bus for the center of Kirkenes, to be exact for the Rica Artic hotel, and this 10-minute trip cost me NOK 25, which is less expensive than either my waffle or my hot chocolate LOL. In between this trip, I saw something that mesmerized me. According to the information I found on the boat, Kirkenes had only about 5000 habitant, which mean, not that much people for a town. But what I saw during this trip was a huge cemetary on the road side, and I bet there hundreds of tombs stone on it. I wonder if it's the victim of the alcohol, because as I heard, people at Finnmark, where Kirkenes was situated, they never drink alcohol during the winter when the sun is up, but the problem, during winter, they never had sun, or the direct translation was, they were kinda "alcoholic" per say.

I actually had another night to pass on at Kirkenes before catching my flight to go back to Zurich the next day. I went to have a walk around Kirkenes, including visited the site of the famous "snow hotel" - they haven't built the hotel yet during that time cause the weather wasn't cold enough to hold the igloo with all it's electrecity supplies, took pictures of reindeers, huskies, and even almost got tailed by some "punk" teens.

Well, that's all the adventure I could share with you from this trip. I hope to travel again sometimes soon to the place where I could experience something totally abnormal so I could share my "bonheure" (hope I spelled it correctly" with you :)

*_* Novita

Hunting The Light - Part III (I was doomed)

My main reason to go to Northern Norway in the winter was simply to take picture of the northern light a.k.a Aurora Boréale. I had contacted couple of people who could provides me with the "Chasing the Northern Light" tour, bought all equipments I might need during that "chasing" part, and worse, got super excited with what I will see based on the story I read on blogs and internet.

When the day of my "chasing mother nature" activity arrived, I got a bit jumpy, typical highschool student who will got her first-time date LOL. First bad sign, the sky was covered :( Even though it was "dark" all day, I still could tell when it's a clear or cloudy sky in Tromso (for this, I felt I was cool enough LOL), second sign, the guy who should gave me a company, Gorran, he couldn't show up, so he replaced by his friend, Ygor. When we started to drive and stopped in the middle of nowhere, I felt the gust of the wind around me wasn't typical what Ms. Aurora Boréale would like best, it's too gusty. But Ygor told us, no worry, he was contacting his friends, and they found some clearing spots somewhere around the E6. Then we drove again, but I started feel suspicious with what I will achieved that night. Couple hours later, he told us, we almost reached the border with Finland, so he though there were no use for us to continue, and that's the end of the super adventure for "chasing the northern light", FREAK!

(to be continued...)