Monday, December 29, 2014

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!!

Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle

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

Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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 ;)

Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, 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..

Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

Daytime, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

To the igloos..

Daytime, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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 ;)

Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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..

Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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 ;)

Winter at Kakslauttanen, Finnish Lapland

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

Celebration House, Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

Winter at Kakslauttanen, Finnish Lapland

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

Celebration House, Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

Night, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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."

Northern Lights, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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....

Northern Lights, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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!! ;)

Northern Lights, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

Northern Lights, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

Nobody wanted to leave for dinner anymore..

Northern Lights, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

Aurora Borealis, Kakslauttanen, Finnish Lapland

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

Aurora Borealis, Kakslauttanen, Finnish Lapland

Getting stronger.. filling up the whole sky..

Aurora Borealis, Kakslauttanen, Finnish Lapland

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

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

"Wow... Wow..."

Aurora Borealis, Kakslauttanen, Finnish Lapland

"Thank you Lord.." 

Northern Lights, Arctic Circle, Finland

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..

Northern Lights, Arctic Circle, Finland

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

Northern Lights, Arctic Circle, Finland

We walked back to our igloos..

Northern Lights, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

Northern Lights, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

"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..

Sunrise, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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!! :)

Sunrise, Glass Igloo, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

Breakfast, Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, Finland

For a lovely breakfast.. 

Breakfast, Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, Finland

And really.. to celebrate!!

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

Winter at the Igloo Village, Kakslauttanen, Finland

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

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



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References:

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

Glass Igloo Kakslauttanen - www.kakslauttanen.fi


Thursday, December 18, 2014

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!

Copacabana Town, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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..

Shopping at Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Lined with souvenir shops..

Cafes in Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And street cafes..

Cathedral at Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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

Shopping at Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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..

Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Until I got here! Phew! :)

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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

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

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

"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!"

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Hhmm.. nice view from up here!

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And the ambiance..

Restaurant, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Just perfect!! :)

Bolivian Food, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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..

Bolivian Child, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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..

Bolivian Child, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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..

Restaurant, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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..

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Moved on to another part of the island..

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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

Bolivian Woman, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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

And this is the local woman collecting entrance fees..

Bolivian Woman, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

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.. 

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And what?!

"Orlando, are we climbing all these?!"

"Yes, just a few steps.."

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

"Ok.."

Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Donkey, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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

Just show me some animals! hahaha! :D

Fountain, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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

Donkeys, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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

Baby Alpaca, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

A Baby Alpaca!! Click on the link ;)

Hiking, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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

"Another 300.."

"Huh?! You are joking right?"

Farm, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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

Baby Alpaca, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Plantation, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

And the reward from that hike..

Plantation, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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

And these women are selling souvenirs..

Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Inca Ruins, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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

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

Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

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




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References: