Just got back from 2 trips. I started off with 3 days in Manila, and then 11 days in Iceland/Finland/ Estonia. I know, the places are totally different. Its been a crazy few weeks, and I am still jetlagged as I write this post.
Seeing the northern lights got me thinking a lot more about life and relationships, in that, it’s always about being in the right place at the right time. I’m not saying that we have no agency in our lives; but there are definitely certain things we have no agency over. For example, whether the lights will appear, or whether you meet this new person who ends up as a new friend, etc. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I strongly believe in fate.
Life has way too much uncertainties and that’s what keeps it exciting. I’m thankful that I am who I am, and I appreciate those who love me for who I am! smile emoticon
Feeling really thankful for a few things on this trip.
#1 Top of the list, seeing the northern lights not just once, but twice. The amazing display just left me amazed at what nature has to offer. The lights put on a great show for me each time I see it, and left me flabbergasted for the entire 2-3 hours as the show went on. I’m in awe each time I think about it, even though its been a week. Truly blessed and thankful to be able to see it twice!
#2 Icelandic people are super super nice. I recall an instance where an uncle just drove past and passed us 3 copies of calendars featuring Icelandic horses when we were looking at the horses at some random spot. We thought he wanted to sell us some sightseeing tours, but we were left surprised when he simply passed us some brand new calendars of Icelandic horses.
#3 I made a new friend from Finland. Learnt so much more about Finnish culture and it definitely helped in understanding Finnish culture and why certain things are the way it is. Super looking forward to catching up with him again!
#4 Tried Finnish sauna at a traditional sauna house and it was really an interesting immersive experience. Staring at a bunch of old ladies naked in the sauna just felt entirely different from being naked in the Japanese onsen. I guess the difference would be that people try to make conversations with you in Finland, whereas in Japan people just avoid eye contact and leave you to do your own thing.
#5 Visiting Porvoo on my own helped me feel independent and adventurous again. I did a solo day trip to Porvoo right before my flight home, and it was a really awesome trip, getting to see a different side of Finland, apart from Helsinki and the Lapland, gives me more reason to revisit Finland again in future!
#6 Lastly, this trip has been crazy amazing with my awesome in prompt-tu travel mates. I am super thankful to them for coming on this trip and pulling everything together super last minute. 🙂 It would not have been so perfect if not for everyone on this trip!
Thankful for every single thing that has happened in the last amazing 11 days!!
In my next post, I will be sharing on how to plan a trip around chasing the northern lights. Stay tuned! I’m still drooling over the lights as of now…..
xoxo
Snippets of the world through my eyes 