Amazing Northern Lights at the Glass Igloo Village

Yes, the Northern Lights / Aurora Borealis again.. but this time, at the Glass Igloo Village from 7 pm to 5 am! :)

And even more spectacular!!

On this very beautiful winter day in February 2014, the most amazing thing happened..

It was my dream to be able to stay at a Glass Igloo in Kakslauttanen, Finland..

And I booked the igloos even before I booked our flights! 

Because for me.. no igloo, no Finland ;)

But it wasn't cheap.. so we only stayed for 1 night..

That 5th night in the Arctic Circle we were all waiting for..

And this is how we roll.. our luggages! ;)

To the igloos..

And here's ours.. big enough for 2 to 3 people.. with a toilet and sink but no shower.. 

The shower and sauna are at the reception building.. because they would not fit inside the igloo ;)

The door jamb is low, so you have to bow your head down when passing through.. and careful with your ice frosted boots because the tiled floor is slippery when wet..

It is warm inside.. with 2 reclinable single beds meant for watching the skies at night.. 

And to answer what all my friends asked.. "Is it see through?!"

Yes, it is a transparent glass dome, and you can see everything outside clearly.. the sunset, the sunrise, and your naked neighbours inside their igloos! But don't worry, nobody really peeps! haha! ;)

How did we change our clothes? We turned off the lights at night, and changed in the dark..

As for the toilet.. the glass is frosted at that area ;)

While waiting for the skies to get dark.. we roamed around and walked to the Celebration House..

That house that looks like it was plucked out of a Christmas movie!!

Where dinner would be served.. but only at 7 pm..

So we headed back.. some to the reception building to use wifi.. and the others to their igloos to relax while waiting for dinner..

While lounging at the lobby.. a Brazilian guest came looking for his wife, who was at the sauna.. 

He came to say something to her.. but since we all turned and looked at him.. he calmly shared..

"The lights are out."

As if we had not seen the northern lights the past 2 nights.. we panicked again!!

How could we not panic, if that "God, it's so beautiful!" was going on outside??!! :D

 Grabbed our jackets, scarves, neck warmers, ear muffs, beanies, gloves, cameras....

Then I ran to the igloos to call the others, but I couldn't find them..

Because.... I was at the wrong row of igloos!! They all looked the same!! ;)

Mesmerised once again by these dreamy green and purple lights..

Nobody wanted to leave for dinner anymore..

So when the lights started to fade a little, we forced everyone to pause and head to the Celebration House..

An hour after, we came out of the dinner hall to see the lights still dancing..

Getting stronger.. filling up the whole sky..

At -27 ºC, we forgot how cold it was..

We were shivering quietly.. overwhelmed.. constantly whispering to ourselves..

"Wow... Wow..."

"Thank you Lord.." 

It was all around.. we did not know where to look anymore.. it was so magnificent.. surreal.. unbelievable.. and I'm not exaggerating at all..

When the cold finally won over us.. and when our necks could no longer hold our heads facing the skies above..

We walked back to our igloos..

Snuggled up comfortably in our beds, and continued watching the dream through the snowflake speckled glass..

"I wish the northern lights will disappear now.."

Not that I wanted it gone.. but it was already 2 am.. and it was so difficult to close our eyes knowing the lights were still dancing outside.. you just wouldn't want to miss a second of it.. 

You know.. you try to sleep.. then you try to peep if it's still there.. it's still there.. then you try to sleep again.. then you open your eyes again to check if it's still there.. and it was there until 5 am..

And so.. did last night really happen??!! :D

Felt like everything was just a dream..

And this sunrise from my bed.. is love x 100!! :)

And now, out to the Celebration House once again..

For a lovely breakfast.. 

And really.. to celebrate!!

I finally understood why they called it the "Celebration House!" :)

This has been my most amazing travel experience so far.. 

And I could not thank God enough for it.. for everything! :)

Related Stories: Northern Lights Over Lake Inari, Husky Dog Sledding, Reindeer Sleigh Ride, First Glimpse of the Arctic Circle, and Medieval Old Town of Tallinn. Enjoy! :)

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References:

Full Trip Itinerary and Budget - Finland and Estonia - Northern Lights Itinerary

Glass Igloo Kakslauttanen - www.kakslauttanen.fi

Aurora Forecast - www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast

Island of the Sun.. Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Let me bring you to a place I've never heard of until I was planning for our trip..

The only thing I knew about Bolivia was the Uyuni Salt Flats..

And I am really glad I discovered.. Lake Titicaca!

It is the largest lake in South America in terms of volume, and at a surface elevation of 3,812 meters above sea level, is also the highest navigable body of water in the world.

It is 3 hours away by bus from La Paz.. and by its shore lies this touristy town of Copacabana..

Lined with souvenir shops..

And street cafes..

And just a little bit to the centre, holds this 16th century Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana.

As I was on my way to the jetty to take the boat to Isla del Sol, the largest island on Lake Titicaca, these barking stray dogs started following me..

I couldn't count them then, but in this picture, it shows around 13.. and yes, I was scared!

Pretending to ignore them, I walked on the side and continued calmly..

Until I got here! Phew! :)

I fell asleep in the boat.. maybe it was jet lag..

And after the 30 minute ride.. I woke up to this..

"Orlando, are we here? Is this Isla del Sol?"

"Yes, but this is only for lunch. We will eat traditional Bolivian food :)"

"Ok, let's go!"

Hhmm.. nice view from up here!

And the ambiance..

Just perfect!! :)

And surprisingly.. yes, I was surprised that I liked the food..

It consisted of fried chicken, salty cheese, big corn, beans, small fish, trout, fried egg and flour with something, potato, sweet potato, and another kind of potato.. hehe ;)

Most of them from their own farm..

And this girl.. is the daughter of the restaurant owner..

After lunch, my husband was walking around taking pictures, and she came to him and stared at his camera.. fascinated.. and staring like that.. for about a minute or so..

Then she came to me.. held my hand and stared at it.. and pulled me back to the restaurant.. 

Orlando, our tour guide, was calling us back to the boat, but she wouldn't let me go anymore..

She was so persistent.. and when I was finally able to remove her little hand from mine, she grabbed onto my scarf.. still determined not to let me go.. 

Orlando was already at the jetty, and kept calling us.. but I couldn't leave..

I kept saying "No.. No..," scared that my silk scarf would get ripped apart.. hehe :P

Finally, her father heard me, and made her let go of me..

Deep inside, though, I already wanted to stay with her for a little more while.. she made me happy..

Moved on to another part of the island..

By the way, Lake Titicaca is shared by both Bolivia and Peru.. and we are currently at the Bolivian territory..

That's my husband, taking pictures for me to share on this blog :P

And this is the local woman collecting entrance fees..

And this.. was after Orlando convinced the woman to have a picture with me.. haha! :)

They usually didn't want to pose for a picture.. 

And what?!

"Orlando, are we climbing all these?!"

"Yes, just a few steps.."

"Ok.."

You know.. It's so easy to make me happy.. 

Just show me some animals! hahaha! :D

This fountain is the only place where they can get water in the island, and the donkeys help the people carry the load.

Because the roads are not paved.. and there are no motor vehicles in the island..

A Baby Alpaca!! Click on the link ;)

"Orlando.. you said only a few steps?"

"Another 300.."

"Huh?! You are joking right?"

No, he wasn't joking.. but finally.. no more stairs.. and another baby alpaca!! :D

And the reward from that hike..

Those terraces are plantations of potatoes, beans, and vegetables..

And these women are selling souvenirs..

Inca ruins.. a temple.. that has something to do with the Sun.. hehe!! 

Forgive me.. I only listened to the donkey stories! :P

And as the sun has set.. it was time to leave the island of the sun :)

Related Stories: My Playground.. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

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References:

Tour - www.latebolivia.com