6th April (still) - Kemi

Finally, I arrived Kemi by evening about 7pm

Totally exhausted, I felt myself have no more energy to find the direction to my couch surf host place

Rest a while in the train station and I saw a young lady walked in and purchase her ticket with the ticket machine

Without a second thought, I just approached her to ask the direction of my host place

I guess she might be a local resident as I saw she purchased her ticket in smooth like no need to waste time in reading on the instruction...

Then, she suggest to take me a lift with her car to the place

Kemi Hospital

My host is a doctor of the hospital

Again, 10 points to Finnish for their friendly to stranger~

After I met my host Karim, we take a walk in the city before our dinner

No wonder he asked me why I choose to visit Kemi, as there's merely no one hanging around the street after late evening about 8pm

No matter how, I'm enjoyed the sunset as I'm a freak who prefer nobody city ^.^

  

At first, I was planned to visit the Snow Castle

but Karim has replied me that the Snow Castle closed about month ago due to the bad weather (the melted main door of the castle as above photo shown)

Yet, at the same time he had accepted me to be his guest of his couch

how do I reject a good will just because of the Snow Castle has been shut down?

All the good will of couch surf host has to be appreciated

As they offer you a place to rest and recharge for your journey on tomorrow

It's not just a place to rest, but a good heart to be witnessed

6th April - Santa Claus Village

Thanks for 2 Taiwanese girls I met here who help me took the photo

My breakfast and lunch

Vegetables Salad, Croissants & Hot Chocolate buffet set (Euro 8.90)

A corner of the restaurant

A Lego Santa Claus

These are Santa's transportation

I will prefer the reindeer ^o^

Joulupukki - Santa Claus in Finnish

What is the Christmas gift that you wish to get the most?

Yes, I'm writing to you ^.*

The elf of Santa - Stefan Erlinassow

He said he remember his birthday on 10th April but he forget which year he born >.<

If someone told you this, will you believe?

I'm the naive one, I do believe

This world is full of many unknowns, since we can't clarify all of them, why don't we choose the good one to believe on it?

Therefore, I gave him the chocolate which come from my 1st Norway host (Norwegian traditional chocolate)
All these day I didn't eat it as I wish to save it for my own until the time I left Scandinavia, but I willing to give a good person I met for his birthday

The 2 machines here are used for toy making

I didn't know how it function but I think it's the old machine that Santa used to make the toys

This machine specialize on the wood-made toy

This is for metal-made toy

Santa and his elf

Can't get Malaysian distance, the nearest I can found is Singapore

9394km just a number for me ^.*

After all the photo taken section and my postcards written, I found this office 0.0

Why I met the Santa just now is not in his office???

When everyone told me this is the place for the real Santa Claus used to meet the visitor, I felt a little bit getting fooled, just a little bit... the rest is disappointed...

Why there's 2 Santa in the Santa Claus village?

Why the elf lied to me?

Are you still willing to believe others easily after discover the true of a cheat?

Yes I am

There are still many good person in the world, I won't let the bad one affected me to believe in the good one~ 

Don't let your pass becomes your obstacle

5th April - Norway to Finland

Never forget to say, the ticket from Tanabru to Rovaniemi (Finland) cost Euro 92

I'm so embarrassed to give the driver (cum bus conductor) Nok 92 (about Euro 12) when I just get in the bus >.<

And I realized I am the only passenger in the bus

Cool! I just need a good sleep with nobody around ^o^

I had slept about 4 hours in the bus

The bus driver is so considerable, he gave me a pillow for my overnight sleep in the bus ^o^

Had you even gave the offer to have a pillow for better sleep while you are taking an overnight long journey bus?

Normally, for hygiene purpose, I will not sleep on a stranger pillow, but this is offer by good will, I accepted it without my second thought

According to Jørgen and Maria, Norway is surrounding by mountain which we can't find from Finland

When we saw the forest along the road and all the mountain gone, we are officially step into Finland~

Lost my direction to my Couch Surf Host place

I had walked about 40mins with my heavy luggage, until I totally exhausted, I choose to hitch-hike

It's easy to get people take you a lift when you hitch-hike in New Zealand, but it's difficult in Finland

I think there's not many hitch-hiker here and people here are poor in English, most of them speak Finnish

Out of the reason of communication, Finnish is friendly

After 15 mins, I successfully offered a seat by a father (he comes with his son) to my destination

Finally, we met

My host in Rovaniemi (Nhung Hong Do - a Master student in University of Lapland from Vietnam)

Under the encouragement of Nhung, I took a walk from the University hostel to the city

Why I need to get encouragement?

I'm a direction blind man, easy to lost my direction if the place I'm going to visit is not a straight road

That explain why I never get lost when I'm in New Zealand last time

A straight road from hostel lead me to the Angry Birds Park after 15 mins walking distance

Haha, I'm going to deliver myself to you, are your ready to see me?

At last only I know

Angry Birds is from Finland >.<

Nhung told me

On my way back I bypass this unknow place

The withered branches of the trees together with the statue in the middle of the garden are looked ghastly

The ice of the river is melting

Yup, the other side of the trees is a frozen lake

People here just make fun with putting a face for a tree

The eyes are adjustable, if, you are tall enough to reach it

On my way going home for a good sleep now

Tomorrow I planned to visit the Santa  Claus with my energetic look

By the way, on the road side there's many others passerby but none of them are wearing the safety vest as Norwegian did