Lapland (12th Feb)

The third day in Lapland we signed up for trip into Norway and to the Arctic Ocean.. It was a long bus ride but my goodness its the most scenic bus journey ever..

Something i always knew.. that the things that are made by the hands of man may be beautiful.. but they can never be compared to those created by the all creative God. =)

We stopped by at this place called Utjoski Village on our way to Norway. The main thing about this village is the church on the hill. Kirsi told us that people used to come to church here only 4 times a year.. Easter, Christmas etc.. and these were also times when people came to meet one another and exchange goods and eat and celebrate around the fire. So these small houses are also called church cottages.




It was a stinging -23 degrees here at Utjoski.. and plus the wind chill i think its abt -30. The exposed skin feels like its being burnt with hot steam.. It's the coldest temperature that i've experienced.. sprinted up the bus after smiling for the picture above.. and it took 15 mins before my face could feel anything again. Ouch

And so Artti (i think thats how it's spelled) our bus driver took us further north until we reached Nuorgam, the northernmost point in Finland.. and there we crossed over to Norway! =) A very scenic drive along the ocean led us to the village of Bugoynes.. which is also where we'll start turning back to Finland..

The tiny village is so so so pretty and i just felt so blessed to be there.. taking pictures and exploring.. here are some pictures of the beach. Oh and did i mention that this IS the ARCTIC OCEAN?

The one on the right with hands out is me! (i'm not gonna show u all the other photos.. super unglam) I swam in the arctic ocean! =) I can now say i've touched the waters of both the Arctic and Antarctic.. remember Juls? in Albany? =)

Enjoy the photos of the beach..

Seaside houses.. i mean Ocean-side

Ice crystals forming on the beach

We left the Bugoynes and took a different route back to Vasatokka.. stopping up this river. Kirsi told us that in summer you can see salmon jumping up stream to spawn. She also told us that salmon here don't die after they spawn and can do this several times in their lifetime. And apparently bears here don't know how to catch salmon unlike those you see on national geographic. Only North American bears? haha

Border between Norway and Finland.. i was in 2 places at the same time again! (Taken from the bus)

Grill party in the Teepee at night.

But the night wasn't about to be over just yet.. because Leigh, Wei Sing and I decided to layer on all the warm clothes we have.. to camp at the lake to see Northern Lights! we even brought chairs and coffee haha


And yes i saw the Northern Lights.. the 12th of Feb.. but it was super super faint.. i couldn't capture it.. If i didn't see it again on another night i would have said i saw it.. =)