8 day itinerary to Finland/(Lapland)/Estonia in Winter

What a trip! What a trip! Must do once in your lifetime!

Pre travel essentials.

1. Book tickets well in advance. Finnair from Delhi is the cheapest and best. The hotels at Rovaniemi are horribly expensive and get sold out as early as September for a late Jan trip. We got a cozy apartment.

2. Visa process for Finland is very smooth.

3. Insurance, of course.

4. Book the Santa Claus Express early as well, for best rooms.

5. Clothing.. see under clothing layers, and buy some if necessary! When we went there the temperatures were between -10 warmest to -30 coldest (degrees Celsius) !!!

Clothing layers essentials besides your two usual layers.

1. Inner thermals

2. Inner jacket/sweater 

3. Outer thick water repellant jacket

4. Ski pants to go over trousers/jeans.

5. Socks two layers.

6. Shoes with good grip (sports shoes should do, no need for snow boots or crampons)

7. Inner small gloves.

8. Thick gloves/mittens (water proof)

9. Scarf big enough to cover mouth and neck 

10. Two cold weather caps or one fur cap.

Keep 15 mins extra everyday to get into all of them 

Day Zero.

We took the evening flight from Hyderabad to Delhi. It would be advisable to do so as winter weather at the Delhi airport can be quite unpredictable and it will allow you to reschedule in the last minute. There is a Holiday Inn Express in Delhi airport where we can book by the hour by logging into the Delhi airport website. We had prebooked 10pm to 5am and got a good night's sleep.

Day 1.

0750 IST to 1430 Eastern European Time. (3 and half hours behind India in winter) . Flight to Helsinki.

1500 to 1615. 

Get into your warm clothes in the Helsinki airport! We had prebooked a place to keep our luggage through a website called Radical storage. It directed us to a Nepalese restaurant called Ravintola Base camp near the railway station. We kept our luggage there and headed out. We did a blunder though: instead of booking Uber (22 to 30 Euros) we took a taxi van that charged a bomb to get here : 85 Euros!! DON'T make this mistake!!!

1615 to 1645. 

Walk upto the Helsinki cathedral. Usually, the Christmas market enlivens the place here and is supposed to be quite an attraction till end of December. We were here end of Jan though. Still, we got good photos of this iconic building and spent sometime in.

1645 to 1700. 

Walk to the Uspenski cathedral, which is based on Russian architecture. It would have been a good climb upto the cathedral, but it was very cold and we were worried that the steps would be slippery due to the snow.

1700 to 1730. 

Fly over Finland was a good place to warm ourselves up and catch the 4D visuals of entire Finland in a nice cozy theatre.

1730 to 1830.

Travel to the iconic Cafe Regatta by Uber. Something you should not miss in Helsinki. It's a very small but beautiful café that overlooks an apparently beautiful lake (I say apparently because when we went the lake had frozen over and was covered with snow ). It was already quite dark, but the lighting made it even more magical. YouTube recommends Blueberry pie and Hot chocolate, and I did have it. It was yummy!

1830 onwards. 

You could cover some more places, you could head to the casino, but most would do what we did.. head back to warmer havens (the Base camp restaurant) as you would have not been acclimatized to minus 14 degree Celsius temperatures!! We stuck around here till 2100.

2100 to 0015. 

Head to the railway station. The building was beautiful, but the facilities are quite basic. To add on to the problems, the previous train to Rovaniemi was delayed indefinitely (1915 one) and ours was delayed by 90 mins (2315 one) so the station was quite crowded 

Santa claus express

You must have realised that there are two timings for the Santa Claus express (715 pm and 1115 pm). The earlier one would have allowed you the explore the train more, but would have reached you earlier in Rovaniemi. We didn't take this option. Why? Read more...

The second option would be a late start, and mostly you will crash to bed immediately.. but the next day you get the witness the vast expanses of Lapland from your window. Remember the Sun rises after 9 am and you would have missed this beautiful scenario otherwise. Also, it gets you in time for your hotel check in, rather than early.

Which room to book? Book the best here, as its an experience to savour. We booked the personal coupe room with attached toilet and shower, and it was no less than a hotel room!

0015 to 0100. 

In chugged our Santa Claus express and left with us in it. We crashed immediately!

Day 2 

0800 to 1145. 

Savour the breathtaking scenes out of the windows, while relaxing in the room, or catching good breakfast in the dining car. And yes, you can take a shower as well in your own attached shower!

1145 to 1200. 

Head to your room in Rovaniemi! 

We stayed in a cozy apartment called Finngland 1. The owner was amazingly friendly.

1200 to 1800 

Freshen up, shower, order some food from Wolt app. (Akin to Swiggy and Zomato). We had Indian food today. Sleep. 

1800 to 2000. 

Walk up to the city center. Everything is quite reachable. But be prepared for bitter cold. It was -26 degrees then and OH BOY.. it was crazy. Have a quick dinner. I had a Reindeer burger, which was quite good. 

2000 onwards.. in our case it was upto 0300! 

Go for a northern lights hunting tour. We got a private tour in a warm car, but the air outside was foggy, sky was cloudy in many places, and when we did find a good spot 88 kms away (!), we caught the Northern lights only for 5 minutes. Taking photos was a nightmare as the temperatures had plunged to -30 degrees centigrade and we were near a frozen lake. Our fingers couldn't last a second outside the gloves  

The agency we took offered another tour if we failed to see it the first night, but the chances dwindled further in the trip, and so this was our only trip. Reached at 0300 and crashed immediately!

Day 3 

1000 to 1330

Visit the Santa Claus Village.

Within the Santa Claus Village there are a myriad of things to do. Our first stop was at the Reindeer Sleigh ride. The crowd builds up here later, so its better to ger here first. It was great fun, but again the same practical probem existed: taking good quality videos and photos was very tough at -27 degrees C!. The host will take some photos for you and you can pet the reindeers too.

Our next stop was to visit Santa Claus. There was a huge line and this is ofcourse the commercial partn of it all. Getting a video and photo with Santa can cost upto 60 Euros per photo. It was fun none the less! 

We then waked to the Post office from where we could send some post cards to near and dear, Again, a fun. and very popular activity.

Next take the customary photos at the temperature kiosk and also at the Arctic circle (one of the most sought after instagram photos ar Rovaniemi!).

Move for lunch at the Salmon restaurant, where we we had the famous Salmon soup, Salmon over fire, hot Blueberry juice and hot chocolate. A lunch to remember. there are vegeterian options in another cafe.

1330 onwards

We headed back to the apartment, and retired for the day soon. it was a much deserved rest after a few continuous nights of not great sleep. Had a reindeer burger again at night (ordered on Wolt)

Day 4

Disclaimer: If you are in better weather and want to cover maximum number of places, combine Day 3 and Day 4 Itinerary in Day 3, and in Day 4, go to the Korouma canyon, which is supposed to be an amazing hike of three hours and you could see a frozen waterfall. We wanted to do the opposite: we wanted this trip to relax as well as just enjoy what the cold weather has to offer to daily life, rather than hike in the freezing cold.

0900 to 1130.

Book a Husky farm trip. There are two types of trips: individual long trips and group trips with shorter rides. Having done a six hour ride in Svalbard, I personally was not so interested in a long tour, and my better half also opted for the latter

We were transported as part of a guided trip to a Husky farm around 10 km away from Rovaniemi. We were first guided to a shed with a camp fire and offered hot blueberry juice and biscuits. However the temperature had increased (yes I said increased) to -15, and we were feeling much more comfortable 😃😃.  We were told about the various type of Huskies and their lifestyle in summer and winter.

We were then ushered in pairs to the Husky sleds. We were pulled around for a while by 8 huskies, and boy, was it fun! I think it was the highlight of the trip for me! We got some good videos this time due to the fact our fingers had adapted! 

After that, we had to wait in the shed till the others finished their rides. But, now, most of us decided to hang around outside! Our contemprory tourists had all experienced very harsh cold for the last two days and today it was like heaven (even at -15)

After everyone finished the rides, we were called to pet the dogs and all of us enjoyed the same!

1200 to 1500.

Take a private taxi to the the Polar Ice Hotel. Purchase the entry tickets, and have a good lunch in the in house restaurant. 

After that, take a walk in the Polar Ice Hotel, which is actually a hotel where people can rent the rooms in as an experience. (the expense and the idea of sleeping on ice deters most: the hotel was empty when we were there. Most of the revenue is earned by charging daily visitors). Each room is sculpted by individual artists, and every room is a photo opportunity. Don't miss the Ice Restaurant, Ice Chappel and the Ice Bar. You can also eat/drink there. 

Walk over to the glass igloos, which is also available for rent to stay. Amazingly a couple were just moving in and invited us inside to see their room! It was a cozy room! 

Why didn't we stay here for a night as many people do? Lets look at the advantages and disadvantages information that I had gathered before hand

Advantages: Its a great way to capture the Aurora Borealis especially with clear skies (best in September/October/late Feb and early March). Just imagine lying in your bed and seeing the northern lights through a glass ceiling!

Disadvantages: Very expensive, the bathroom is almost see through at night (embarrassing for most partners), and practically useless in the months where you are likely to miss the northern lights.

1530 onwards: 

Rest in the room, order dinner, or book a nice dinner in town. I stayed back and watched Manchester City draw a match that they should have easily won. Hmmm. 

Day 5

1000 to 1530: 

Visit the Ranua Wildlife park with a pick up and drop guided tour.

It is an hours drive each way, so better do the trip in a group to save money. 

Once we the reach the place, the guide will buy the tickets and tell you the pick up time. After that, its all by yourself. Its a walk through wonderland. The walk itself has so many places to capture photos!

The main attractions here are the Otters, the Snow owls, the eagles, the wild boars, the wolves and not to forget the main attraction: the Polar Bears. 

 

At 1130 am, you have an interactive session with the Zookeepers about Polar Bears, which is quite interesting to listen

After roaming around there, head to restaurant for a sumptous buffet lunch. I ate another speciality today of Finland: meatballs and mashed potatoes. Awesome.

The chocolate shop here is a great place to collect them for your near and dear

Be driven back.

1900 onwards

It was our plan to head out for the Northern light tour again, but it was actively snowing and the chances were zero tonight, so we headed out to the Polar restaurant, to feast on another Finn speciaity, the Reindeer steak. It was awesome.

Day 6

1030. 

Check out of the room/apartment

1230 to 1345. 

Flight back to Helsinki.

1400. 

Lunch in the airport, and there are many options in the airport to be frank. I went ahead with the salmon soup.

1400 to 1500. 

Drive into the city. We checked in to the prebooked Radisson Blu Hotel.

1500 to 1545. 

Walk to and spend some time at the Helsinki city library. The monument itself was beautiful, and the number of books were unbelievable!

1545 to 1630. 

Walk past the Kampii chapel, more for a photo opportunity with this uniquely shaped chapel

1630 to 1700. 

Reach the Kaupattori market. I wish I had reached here earlier as the market closed at 1700. It was cozy and the shops were colourful and nice. Had a hot chocolate and blueberry pie!

1700 to 2000: 

Rest and plan for tomorrow. Alternatively the casino is just outside the hotel, if you want to lose some Euros !

2000. 

Dinner at the hotel. 

Day 7

0630. 

Get up earlier today, get ready and have a nice breakfast.

0800. 

Head to Helsinki harbour, and check in to one of the various ships that cross the Baltic sea. We prebooked and checked into the Eckero line MS Finlandia. It was an awesome cruise ship with only seating facilities, lounge facilities and room facilities. We checked into a room, which was quite neat!

0900 to 1115. 

The ship ride: We spent time in the room, had a hot chocolate in one of the numerous restaurants, spent time on the deck. The deck was very cold, but it was awesome to watch the sea covered with layers of ice, something that I witnessed for the first time!

1115. 

Disembark in the port of Tallinn!

1115 to 1145. 

Take a Uber to the city centre, after which we can walk around almost everywhere.

1145. 

We started out tour at the Kohtuotsa viewing platform. Most guided tours would anyway come here later in the afternoon, so its better to reach here first. We can catch a glimpse of the entire old city of Tallinn from here and it looks beautiful! Walk to the next place.

1200. 

Alexander Nevsky cathedral. Its very beautiful, both from the outside and inside. You can spend some time here to enjoy the solace. Walk to the next place.

1215. 

Walk past the Nun tower and walls. If the weather is better, you could climb up the walls after paying the entrance fee. It was minus 12, windy and slippery, so we decided not to do so.

1230. 

Go to the Kiek in da Kok museum. We visited the Bastions of Tallinn. This was a unique experience to say the least, which took us back to the darker days of Tallinn, right from the 1700s, through WW1, WW2 and the communist occupation. It offered a lot of insight about the history of the town.

1315.

 Lunch time, We had lunch at the Maharaja hotel, and the Indian food was indeed awesome. I had a thali and Mango Lassi.

1400. 

Walk to the Talinn town Square (Raekoja plats) for numerous photo opportunities and to soak in the culture and architecture.

1420. 

Walk to the St Catherine's passage. It was a let down actually, as it was too cold and there were outdoor activities there

1440. 

Reach the Viru Gates, built in the 14ht centre, and a part of a Medeival defense system. Good place for a photo in winter! the surrounding areas are supposed to be bustling in summer.

1500. 

Walk to the St Olaf's church. The church looked beautiful, but it was closed at this time of the day.

1515 to 1600. 

Head to the KGB prisons. Again, it offers a unique insight about the time of the KGB and Soviet rule in Estonia. It was a horrifying journey through history.

1615. 

Head to the Balti Jama market and chose from numerous cafes and shops to spend some time at. It looked beautiful

1630 to 1730. 

You could head out to the Maritime museum ( I had been to huge maritime museums in Norway and Sweden, so I was not much interested) OR you could head out to the Talinn TV tower for more panoramic views OR just laze around at the market (which we did)

1730. 

Head back to the port for check in in to the MS Finlandia. We were to continue in the same room .

1830 to 2100. 

Spend time in the room and head over to one of the numerous restaurants. I actually attended a Karaoke session in one of the restaurants and got a standing ovation from a huge crowd, who genuinely loved their music! It was great fun!

2100. 

Take a Uber back to the hotel

2200. 

Crash. I didn't, I watched a football match (City defeated Newcastle in the second leg of the Carabao cup semifinal)

Day 8

0900 to 1400. 

Leisure time. Leisure breakfast. Pack for check out.

1400. 

Head over to the airport

1800. 

Flight back to Delhi.....

Well, I will not be exaggerating one bit in saying that these 8 days were some of the best in my life!

 

 

Friends: The four types of...

An eye opening scene from the book, The Fifth Dimension.

An important day was over. The day that Sameer had waited eagerly for. The day was one of success for him. 

Sameer decided to celebrate. To party. With only his nearest and dearest friends. Suddenly, he realized that there were only two members who belonged to this category. . .

It was 2008, Sameer was nearing 29. He now was a doctor; an internal medicine specialist in a corporate hospital. He probably interacted with fifty different people each day, many of whom were daily acquaintances. He probably had 300 plus friends on Orkut and Facebook as well.

But whom would he call his best pals? Best friends with whom he could share everything with? Who knew him as much as much he knew himself? Only two people.

He knew them both since the latter part of the 1980s, his early school days.


How many of us fall into this category? We seem to have so many friends everywhere.... but how many of us have to really think when it comes to naming our 'real' best friends?

Friends, as I now believe, could be categorized into:

1. Best friends: Friends who will be present everywhere in times of celebration and in times of gloom, and for whom you would be present at the same instances in his or her life.

2. Social friends and party bum chums.: They are the pals to be had fun with. More in number.

3. Professional friends. Many more in number. You probably would have them over for dinner also some times.

4. Old friends lost in the virtual social networks scene only. : Hundreds.... (remember those good days? we used to have great fun? ...where did you say you stayed nowadays?)

Please let me know the numbers of people who fall in the first category in your life... I wanna know the average number as a statistic.

Eight day Itinerary in Brazil!

 

This was a much anticipated trip. I was travelling to the South American continent for the very first time and had heard great things about the same

Prerequisites to note before leaving

1. Get your yellow fever vaccine done. It had been checked only once on the way, but it is mandatory

2. Brazil visa process is very slow. Your travel agent needs to have an office in Delhi. Documents have to uploaded online. after which an appointment date will be given almost a month later. At that date, the travel agent representative has to reach the embassy in Delhi (the consulate in Mumbai for 3 states) on that date. Remember, the latest bank statement has to be updated when you present the documents at the embassy. After that, it takes almost 7 to 10 working days for the Embassy to release the visa. Start the process atleast 2 months in advance if not before.

3. Carry a mosquito repellant cream or spray that suits you, from India.

4. Pack shorts and swimming trunks/suits as well.

5. Travel to Brazil is very long. Be prepared for really long hauls.

6. Book a guided tour with English speaking guides.

WE LOST ONE DAY AT DUBAI DUE TO THE THEN ONGOING AIRSPACE RESTRICTIONS, AND HAD CRAMMED THE DAY 1 AND DAY 2 OF THE ITINERARY TOGETHER, WHICH I WILL IGNORE FOR THE FLUIDITY OF THE BLOG!

Day 0

We landed at Rio at 4 pm. Luckily we had a tour guide pick us up (Mr Marcelo). We drove into the city and soaked into the different changing scenes of Rio. Our hotel was at the Copocabana beach. We refreshed, and headed for a pizza dinner, which was average to good. After dinner, we walked along the Copocabana beach. 

It was lively, with the majority of beach activities being sports related: many people were practing football, volleyball and footvolley. There was a music festival at a place, and subdued samba in some restaurants . We were here in June, which is the Brazilian winter. It was slightly nippy, but comfortable. Headed back to the hotel and crashed.

Day 1

0830. Breakfast at the hotel

0930. Head to the Corcovado mountain. On the way, a football fan could spot the Flamengo club, Fluminense club and the Maracana stadium. Ths journey takes twenty to thirty minutes

1000. Book the tickets which take you up the mountain. As this was winter, we went through the processes quite quickly, but as I have heard this can be a road block, and people would usually get the 1050 train if they reached at this time.

1000. The train during its ascent takes us deep into the Tijuca national park, an urban rainforest. Soak in the first sights of greenery all around. As the train ascends higher, the train slows down at vantage points for amazing views of the city. Sit in the right side of the ascending train for best views.

1040. Disembark at the final station. You can take the steps up to the Christ the Redeeemer statue, or perhaps take an elevator and escalator combination. Once you reach there, let your guide first explain all the different views before you rush for your Insta snaps. Situated at 700 m above sealevel, we can pretty much see a lot of Rio from up there, and it better to understand what we are looking at.

1050 to 1150. Soak in the the veiws, the sun, the weather, and take great photos of the the very famous statue that very much exists in all videos and blogs about Rio De Janeiro! A restroom exists near the place where you embark the train again, along with a coffee shop and souvenir shop. 

1150 to 1220. Train down.

1220 to 1330. Head towards one of the buffet restaurants for lunch. If it has churrascaria style food, its even better. We enjoyed a huge variety of food here. For vegeterians, dont worry one bit. Brazil is an amazing place for vegeterian delicacies as well.

1330 to 1500. Let the driver take you to one end of the endless beach stretches and drive all along the coastline of Rio to the other end, wherein lies the Sugar Loaf mountain. Stop at multiple panoramic view points of Brazils coast, rich neighbourhoods at one end and the poorer favelas. Do not venture into the favelas unless you have a planned tour for safety purposes.

1500. Sugar Loaf Mountain. In summers the base of the sugar loaf mountain where you get into the Gondolas that take you up the hill can be quite busy, so plan accordingly. We had it pretty quick, and were up our way pretty quickly. The gandolas are two in number. One is upto the Morro da Urca mountain (220 m above sea level), and then to the Sugar Loaf mountain (396 m). It is a monolithic rock. The views from the top offer a different perspective to Rio's landscape. It lies at the mouth of the Guanabara bay. 

Its easy to spend an hour on each of the mountains, with stunning views various cafes at the top. On the way back, we decided to trek down the Morro da Urca. The trail was awesome to say the least, but its not for for people with osteoarthritis of the knee, as the steps on the trail are quite steep at places. We reached the bottom at 1745.

1800. Reach the hotel and shower.

1900. Dinner can be had at one of the multiple restaurants along the Copocabana beach.

DAY 2

(Disclaimer: I will be in the same shirt, as this day never existed in our itinerary)

0930

Go to the Seleron stairs, a famous landmrk in Rio. It was decorated using tiles from all over the world. It is a place where you can easily spend an hour or two, especially if you hang around in the roads nears the stairs. Find the tiles from India!

1130. Walk upto the Cathedral Metropolitana de Sao Sebastio. It is nothing to marvel from the external view, but inside it offers serniity. the walls resemble a pyramid, with lot of glass that allows natural flight to flow in all times

 1400 ;

Post Lunch there are multiple options. For sports fans taking a tour inside the Maracana stadium is a must, (a place where the World Cup Football Finals were held for the very first time in 1950 and again in 2014). Alternatives are to go to a walking tour in the city centre, go to the Botanical garden, catch the sunset at Ipanema beach or go to the Science Museum. We missed all this for obvious reasons.

1900.

Whatever you had chosen to do before this, head to the Lapa area for dinner. You will find numerous restaurants playing Samba music here. The music is good, the food I must say was average, and the atmosphere was vibrant.

2200. Reach room and crash. Its going to be a long day tomorrow!

Day 3

0700: Breakfast and check out.

0730: Drive to Rio airport

1115: Domestic flight (LATAM) to Igauzzu falls. Make sure you get a window seat on the left side. As we approach the Igauzzu, Argentina is very clearly visible from the flight on the other side of the river!

Argentina on the other side! 

1330. Land and Igauzzu and collect your luggage. We were met by our local guide Mr Wagner here. Leave immediately to the Igauzzu falls national park

1400. At the ticketing offcie for the park, pick up ponchos (you are surely going to very wet) and have a quick lunch. Use the rest rooms here.

1430. You will be driven close to one part of the falls, from where you will be transported first by a Jeep pulled trolley, and then by a battery car towards the river downstream of Igauzzu. The guide on the trolley will give you a good overview of the Igauzzu falls. There is an option of taking a walk in the park, but it is not supposed to be something unique, so our guide asked us to skip it.

1500. We got onto the speedboats, covered in ponchos and lifejackets.

1500. It is difficult to choose, but probably this was the best part of the trip. The speedboats race against  current in top speed, giving you a thrill like neber before. We are taken to a serene part of the mighty Igauzzu falls first. The noise is thunderous. Next the speed boats go right upto and right under 'the 3 musketeers' part of the falls. it was thrilling. Our boat driver took us under the fall thrice. Needless to say we were drenched, but enjoyed to the core. The ride back is also fun.

1615. Take the same way back, battery car and trolley to reach the van. The van then travels towards a trekking pathway quite close to the falls. The view of the falls in this trek is magnificent and we tend to stop in many places to take photos of the majestically wide falls (the widest falls in the world, infact)

As you approach closer to the falls, the sounds get thunderous and be prepared to get real wet with the water spray.

You get really close up to the falls as well, and the sun setting at the same time makes it a surreal experience. Take an elevator or a sharp climb upward to your can whicb should have made it there quite some time back

1830. Head towards Foz de Igauzzu, the town next to the falls. It would take you 45 mins to get there, so you might as well head to dinner before checking in. We had dinner at an excellent Indian restaurant and were treated to a variety of Indian dishes. 

2030. Head towards the hotel, check in, shower, dry your clothes under the hair drier and AC fan (good luck with that) and crash for a real early morning the next day.

Day 4

0300. Get up and leave to the airport

0530. Flight from Igauzzu falls to Sao Paulo. Unfortunately there is no direct flight to where we are going next

1000. 4 hour flight to Manaus. Make sure to get the emergency seats if you are tall! Its a routine domestic flight with less leg room otherwise. Manaus time zone is one hour behind all the places we have been thus far. It is quite close to the equator bang in the middle of the Amazon rain forest.

1200. Land at Manaus. We had out guide pick us up and take us directly to the Manaus opera house. It was not a great day to do site seeing though, as we were really tired with all the travelling and less sleep in the preceeding one and a half days. The Opera house at Manaus is well worth a visit. Its acoustics are well known all over the world and light pink colour gives it an unique mystic feel

1400. Lunch at any one the local restaurants near the Opera house. The local food is unique and well suited to our palates.

1500. Check into the room. We stayed at the Juma Opera Hose hotel. A few of us crashed till late 630 pm, a few travelled the city of Manaus after 5 pm (not particularly fun, you can miss it). 

1900. Dinner at the same location. Local food was awesome.

2130. Crash again.

Day 5

0800. Get up, followed by breakfast and check out

0930. We had another tout guide, Mr Anselmo pick us up. We travelled by van to the banks of the river Rio Negro (the main river at Manaus). Our luggage and we were transferred onto a boat.

1030. Our boat tour began. Today's highlight was to sail to the 'Meeting of the Waters' where the darker coloured Rio Negro river (colder) meets the muddier Amazon river (warmer) and doesn't mix for quite a distance due to the temperature differences. It was an awesome experience just to see this, but even more astonishing for us was the sheer size of the two gigantic rivers. In the middle of the river, there was a point that their shores were not visible upto the horizon. Our routine thinking pictures rivers from one coast to the other; here at one time only one coast was clearly seen!

1200. We passed by a few Amazonian villages and explores the local lifestyle (these were relatively modern villages).

1300. We had a lunch at one of the restaurants near the Janauary national park. The food was awesome.

1330. We walked on a small pathway leading into the national park. Our first experiences of the Amzon rain forest began, as we started seeing birds and some monkeys in their natural habitat. The highlight of this trip were the largest water lillies in the world, Victoria amazonica.

1400. Shop at a local handicraft store

1430. Head back to Manaus, transfer to a bus, travel 45 minutes by the tour bus, jump onto yet another boat and speed on the never ending Amazon river, river beds, backwaters and numerous tributaries to finally reach our home for the next 3 days: right in the middle of the forest: Evolucao Ecolodge! (There are numerous such places in this place but they are hugely spread oot

1600. Welcome drinks and food were provided and we were guided to out private cottages, They all seemed like a dream come true for nature lovers. 

1830. Just hung around at the lodge that evening, chatting and relaxing besides the river bed, surrounded by greenery as far as the eye can see and hearing the sounds of various insects and birds. What we came to know later was that in this place, the water is slightly acidic. This meant there were NO mosquitos in the place we lived. Dinner is served between 7 and 8. Food is awesome, even for the ardent vegeterian.

2200. Crash!

Day 6

The next few days are relaxing

0730. Breakfast time

0830. Trek into the Amazon rain forest begins! Two guides will come with you. In this two to three hour trek, expect uneven surfaces, very gentle incline and great humidity. Carry water with you, and apply you mosquito repellant now; mainly to ward off ticks. As you walk in, you will see many monkeys for sure, native trees, spiders, insects and ofcourse snakes. The guide will take care of your safety, don't worry! 

1200: Lunch

1530. Boat tour in the forest. Amazing ride this one. We were taken further and further into the Amazon rain forest to spot animals in their natural habitat, and that we did. We saw many monkeys, a variety of birds, multiple sloths and Cayman (alligators) as well. The Caymans will be visible only after dark, as their eyes glow in the dark.

Lazy as a sloth

1900. Dinner

2230. Crash!

Day 7

0730. Breakfast

0830. Trip to meet the dolphins. Haven seen the dolphins before in Dubai and Goa, we initially thought this may not be as exciting as the days before. But, boy were we wrong. At a pre-specified place, we disembarked the boat, changed and got into the river. The guide there started calling the dolphins for a meal, and soon all around us were dolphins. They were playful creatures who dont mind being petted at all, especially in the belly. Be prepared for sudden chills down the spine as you never see the dolphin crashing into to you till the last moment!

1200. Lunch

1530. Trip to go fishing. This was an unique experience as I certainly had never been fishing before. The place where the activity occurred was sublime, again right in the middle of the forest. We enjoyed it. 

1730. Stop by at a local village to see the sunset. We also caught up on a local village football match!

1800. Soak in the views and sounds in the last night on the resort. 

1930. Dinner.

2100. Crash!

Day 8

0700. Breakfast and check out

0800. Drive back, first by boat and then by van to the airport at Manaus.

After some rescheduling etc, we started out long journey back home via Brasilia (the capital city), Rio De Janerio, Dubai and back to home.

To say this trip was awesome is the greatest understatement. Truly etched in our memories for ever!

Three Day Winter Itinerary in Iceland

 

Prerequisites:

Adequate winter clothing, readiness for unpredictable weather, and pre-booked tours

Iceland is a place that I always planned to visit twice, once in winter and once in summer! I took the traditional Sankranti winter vacation to Iceland this time!

Day 0

Well, lets put it this way: getting to Iceland is tough. I think there are a couple of one stop options from India, but they didn't suit my plans. I began my trip after wrapping up my commitments in a conference at Vellore. Hence my my onward travel itinerary was; well, hold your breath; Vellore - Chennai -  Dubai - Amsterdam - Keflavik - Reykjavik (Road, Emirates, Emirates, Iceland Air, Road)

Keflavik is the town with the international airport in Iceland. In the Iceland air flight towards Keflavik, I purchased the shuttle tickets from Keflavik to Reykjavik (although you can purchase the same from the airport as well). The other options to travel include taxi (expensive), or you could rent a car for the days in Iceland from the airport. I didn't opt for the latter because of three reasons : international driving licence requirements, driving in the right side of the road, and mainly the general danger of driving in Iceland in winters (slippery roads, and limited daylight). You may be adventurous and opt for the latter, but it is generally discouraged in winters.

It was perhaps four thirty when I left the airport, but boy was it already dark! It had started drizzling already, and I walked it to the bus. The bus was full. It took an hour to the reach the Reykjavik bus terminus, from where another small bus dropped us off to the hotels. I decided to stay at the Hotel Grand Reykjavik, and found it to be in a rather convenient location to move around. It was six in the evening when I reached the room. I showered and headed out for dinner. I decided to walk to the Hilton hotel closeby as Google had given good ratings to the restaurant. I slipped on the ice on the way, which made me watch my all my steps in the entire trip! Fish and Chips and the local Gull beer made an excellent dinner. 

Iceland is five and a hours behind India. The time difference and the very long journey made me crash at 930 pm itself. 

Day 1

Firstly the dress code! Remember, although the temperature may seem relatively mild compared to the colder places you have been (I have been to Longyearbyen, where the temperature was -26 degrees C), Iceland can fell extremely cold, due to the constant wind/rain. The temperature was 1 degree Celcius on day 1 and boy was I happy I had dressed appropriately.

Back to the dress code (I purchased most of the stuff at Decathlon in Hyd): two caps, inner puffed jacket over the shirt, outer water proof jacket with a water proof hoodie, winter water proof gloves, inners, jeans, water proof ski pants, socks and shoes. Crampons are recommended, but I decided against them (I did just fine).

I had booked the trip through Viator. Today I planned to travel in the Golden Circle tour.

0630. Breakfast at the hotel.

0730. Pick up at the hotel and transfer to a central point.

0800. We got into the Golden circle tour bus. The bus was comfortable and there was free Wifi. The tour was excellent and she gave excellent insights about Iceland in general.

1000. Thingvellir national park. Well, it was still pitch dark when we got here. We were taken to a view point, where we could see the area of the oldest parliament in the world (Viking era). We could see the Thingvalavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland. The sun rays had just started coming over the horizon and this made it an excellent view (better seen with the Samsung night camera, though). We could see the place where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia actually meet, making this country most prone for earthquakes and volcanoes. Grab an opportunity for a quick coffee/hot chocolate, and using the washroom before you leave the place!

Night mode on Samsung

1100. Geysir. We reached here at 1100. The sun had risen, but it was cloudy and it was drizzling constantly. But the area was awesome, It was a large area bubbling with geothermal activity. There were small steam vents, boiling mud pits, streams of boiling hot water and the of course the geysers! 

Strokkur is the largest of all the geysers, and it erupts every ten to twleve minutes, throwing up a large jet of hot water up in the sky. If you are patient with the camera, you can catch the spectacle very nicely (it spurts for about  8 to 10 seconds). On the rainy day, most of us in the tour decided that it was meant for our eyes only! 

1200. The Gullfoss (The Golden Waterfall). Boy, was this a large waterfall. It looked special as on either side of the waterfall, the mountains were covered with ice and snow, while the water made its way relentlessly. The sound was thunderous. There were numerous viewing platforms, including some close to the falls. The pathways can be very slippery here, so be careful! Lunch at the visitor centre.

1300. From here many people decide to take a snowmobile trip/monster truck up the glacier and go to the natural ice caves. Further extension of the same trip could take you to the Sky Lagoon or the Blue Lagoon. I decided to skip them all. The reason was I had already visited a mega glacier and ice cave in Svalbard on a dog sled (one of my best tourist experiences) and I am personally not a fan of public baths. However,  although the camera use is difficult, the two aforementioned lagoons are supposed to be very beautiful indeed). I later came to know that the glacier and the ice cave trips on that day had been a nightmare due to very heavy rains! We had lunch at the Gulfoss visitor centre (the lamb soup, was awesome, its a local delicacy). 

1400. We headed back to Reyjkavik. Why did I take the shorter trip? Well wait, wait...

1600. Back to the Grand hotel, rest and shower.

2000. Dinner at the Grand Hotel by the fireplace!

2030. Pick up at the Grand hotel for the Northern Lights tour! The tour guides are very experienced and they know just where to take you. Mind you, it was a very cloudy night, yet the tour guides took us to two places where we could sight the northern lights, albeit not for very long at each place, before the clouds moved in again. Always book this tour on the first night itself, as the tour operator will take you the next night for free should the first night be marked as 'unsuccessful'. Ours was marked unsuccessful, but the trips of the subsequent nights were cancelled due to persistent rainy weather 😞. 

2345. Reach hotel and crash!

Day 2

0630: Get up, get ready and get some breakfast!

0830. The minibus came and picked me up right from the hotel. The South Coast Small Group tour begins! Well, it was a very rainy day again today. We rode in complete darkness to the first point, a place chosen by the tour guide in such a way that we could cover the maximum distance before sunrise at 11 am. Use the restroom facilities on a the way, when the driver stops for a short while and also pick up some Hot chocolate/coffee.

1100.  Skogafoss. It is a majestic waterfall which is a 60 metre drop. Somehow the downstream river is very serene. There is a viewing platform at an elevation, but it is quite a steep climb. The view from there is supposed to be incredible, but I, like most others, skipped it as it was raining steadily. The waterproof jackets come to your rescue.

1200. Reynisfjara beach/ Black sand beach. This was a stunning beach, which was formed by flowing lava and silt directly hitting the ocean. The currents here are very strong and we were not to go towards the water. If you get pulled in, the next piece of land would only be Antarctica! Large basalt columns line the beach, which make it a stunning spectacle. Rain as usual played spoil sport. 

1300. Lunch at the visitor centre. For the second day running, I took the lamb soup , which was delicious. I rounded it up with a cake and hot coffee. 

1330. Pass by the picturesque town of Vik, quite photogenic (had it not been for the incessant rains!)

1430.  Solheimajokull glacier. It is a tongue of a much larger glacier. We need to walk a short distance from the parking lot to actually see the part of the glacier meeting the lake that is formed by the melting ice, with floating icebergs. It was quite the spectacle. The evidence of global warming was seen when the guide explained how much the glacier had been eroded in the last decade. 

We then decided to walk away from the pathway created and move along the lake shore. That was a mistake and the black soil was very soggy. My shoe got stuck in the mud, as a result to balance myself I had to adjust in such a way that my gloves and socks were soaked in the wet black muck, making the rest of my trip, well, not so 'clean'. It reminded me of the short hikes we used to have in the western ghats near Pune in the college days.

1530.  Seljalandfoss. When we browse Iceland on YouTube or Google, you would often find this waterfall in all vlogs/blogs. It is an iconic waterfall and it was particularly voluminous on that day. In summers, you can actually go behind the waterfalls, which was closed as the path was frozen. You can good photos here, Use the restroom and also drink something here, as it is a 2 hour drive back to town after that.

1800. Reached back to the base well past the Iceland sunset. Well, to get myself cleaned up, took up enormous effort and time (and money if you count the clothes I had sent to laundry). Watched a Manchester City EPL match, to see our team squander yet another lead (the story of the year for City), room service for dinner and crash. 

Day 3

Day in Reykjavik

0900. Get up late and have a leisurely breakfast

1000. Head out by cab to the Perlan museum.  This is a beautifully designed museum to describe the natural wonders of Iceland. Included in the museum price are the Planetarium show (concentrated mostly on the Northern lights), the volcano show and the Ice cave experience. After the time spent indoor in the museum, head up to the fourth floor, where you can grab an ice cream and then walk on the terrace, from where you can see the panoramic view of the whole of the city. Mind you, the wind can be particularly strong in some parts. Overall, an awesome experience!

1230. Head out to the Hallsgrimkirkja, the iconic cathedral of Reykjavik. It is the poster picture of any Reykjavik website or social media site. A lot of photo taking opportunities here. The church itself was serene.

1330. Lunch at Cafe Loki or at Three Coats. Cafe Loki is a favourite for traditional Iceland food. It is famous for the fermented shark dish ( I was warned about its pungent taste and I decided to skip it). I decided to move to the Three Coats restaurant, which is smaller and less conspicuous, but it is a place that  serves another exotic Iceland dish: whale meat steak (sssh!) It was awesome!

1500. Take a snap at the Sun Voyager; nothing to  ride home about, but an iconic Iceland landmark nevertheless.

1515 to 1545. Burn your lunch calories by walking along the sea coast to the Fly over Iceland building

1600. Fly over Iceland. Do not miss this! This is a 7D experience, where you will be made to sit on a chair (with safety seat belts, of course). The chair will move forward into an empty well, where your feet will be hanging in the air, and the 7D show starts to give a surreal flight over all parts of Iceland. It was exhilarating! However, I will not recommend this for people with vertigo and heart conditions!

1645. Walk to the Lava Show museum, a short walk. Attend the Lava Show, which is another greatly unique experience! You can see artificially produced but scientifically accurate Lava pouring down the centre of the room (do not dare touch, the lava is at 800 degrees celsius when it is poured down and remains well above 200 degree celsius throughout the show). A geologist will explain the various properties of Lava, and about all the infamous volcanoes that had rocked Iceland.

1800. Head back to the hotel via the church, as it looks astonishingly good at night time too!

1900. Pack for a really early morning departure the next day, enjoy a fireplace dinner and crash!

Day 4

Take a taxi back to Keflavik and head home! (I had a stay over in Amsterdam on my way back)