Chapter 5 - A snowmobile ride through the wild arctic forest In quest of Northern lights

It's just 5 past 10 in the evening and outside is pitch dark.. We were well prepared for yet another adventure, an experience of dreaming with our eyes open that we awaited for a long while. Based on the itinerary, we reached Lapland Safari Office in Levi which is pretty much nearby our stay.

It is mandatory to possess a valid international driving license to ride a snowmobile. Moreover, a 15 Euro insurance will ensure that your pocket is safe if at all any damage occurs to the vehicle. Without any hesitation, we took

the Insurance to make sure our pockets wouldn't drain soon

Before the advent of snowmobile ride, a safety induction will be provided for the basic awareness and safety gear like. Shoes, socks, special suits, gloves, helmet, and all other necessary accessories to fight against -25 degrees will be distributed. Once you are all set for the adventure, an agreement has to be signed as a consent to accept any risk that happens during the ride is solely your responsibility

After all these procedures, we went to the area where the snowmobiles were parked. We were around 20 on the whole. One snowmobile could accommodate only two. Before boarding, we were briefed again. Overtaking and crossing the speed-limit is strictly prohibited. However, rules are meant to be broken, yeah? Else, how can you term it as an adventure if there’s nothing out of the blue!

The snowmobile tracks were formatted just like ordinary roads, with road-signs and speed limit boards on both sides. On entering the forests, the tracks narrow more. The roads are contained bumps and humps throughout; if you don’t keep yourself buckled up, then, I need not say what would happen! However, this deprived us of our most important intention – Photographs! Heaters are fitted next to the handles and legs of the driver. So the driver is safe on that criteria and the unlucky companion freezes to the ice by the end of the ride

Soon, we reached nearby a completely frozen river. We were allowed to increase the speed from this point. Phewwww! We literally turned it into a fighter flight and What an epic experience it was with skidding and drifting!

As I mentioned in the first Chapter of my travelogue, This Chapter of Finland is below KP-3 Index. So, it is difficult to spot the Northern Lights from here. However, considering the clear sky and lovely weather, there was a possibility of viewing and we kept our hopes high.

At the end of almost 15 km, we put our vehicles to a halt. It was pitch dark. In the faint headlight view, we saw numerous signs that read ‘Beware of Wolf’. Instantly, we made a campfire there.

We were all standing and staring at the night sky to spot color. The temperature just got on our nerves. The fire didn’t do any wonders. It was still drastic cold. Close to where we sat, there is a small wooden structure. Pork sausage grill and hot berry juices were served and all were fighting to grab it. The juice literally made some difference in our health comfort level.

Even though we waited till 12 midnight with both eyes fixated on the sky, not even a trace on Northern Lights appeared. Disappointment took over us. It was time to leave. Our guides tried to cheer us with few jokes. But, all in vain. In the return journey, I sat behind.

We returned the snowmobiles, dresses and other accessories back and went back to our car. In the sorrow of not getting to witness the Northern Lights, we took our beverages out. Lo and behold! The bottle was all ice.straight back to our room. We put the beer in a vessel of hot water and hit the bed.

* Now you may be thinking where on Earth these photos came up from. For your information, these were the photos that prompted us to embark on this journey. Not all feats come without any sheer endeavor.

But, don't worry, the amazing aurora dance shows are on the way…… So, stay tuned!