Excuse me while I kiss the sky... AGAIN!

Hei hei! 

Just a few days ago, I had two trains of thoughts in my mind. 

One was: I realized I hadn't written a post for a long time and realized that inspite of travelling to so many new places in the last two months, I wasn't really motivated to write about anything. Subconsciously I thought that I was done with this blog and I'd delete the whole thing off some day, soon. 

Well, the second one was: As I'm almost near the end of my exchange program at Finland, I thought that I had seen everything I wanted to here. Damn, I had seen the main reason I chose Finland as the destination for my exchange- Aurora Borealis and snow. However, like every human being, sadly I was greedy for more, but I thought, 'what are the odds of seeing the northern lights in Vaasa?' (FYI: the answer is very few!)

Luckily, I'm sort of lucky and the sun felt kind, so he did some of his solar mojo and bam! we earthlings were granted with strong northern lights which personally, I never thought would be seen from Vaasa. Oh, and that's not all. I saw shooting stars too. 

Did I hear you think 'lucky bitch'? It's true, you know. 

____________________________

Aurora Borealis- Northern Lights
Sighted: 17th March, 2013 

Location: Vaasa, Finland 

Note: None of the pictures are Photoshop-ed at all, apart from being stamped with the credit. You may use the pictures to post it elsewhere, with the blogger's permission or if you provide sufficient credit. Thank you. 

The images in which the northern lights are very light are the ones that were taken near my residence in the city, with a lot of lights. The better ones are ones which we took in the dark. We went to a nearby beach, which obviously had no lights around, to get the best view of Aurora Borealis and I've also never seen the moon 'shine bright like a diamond' before this. So yeah, note for the future: Best sighting of Aurora Borealis is seen with minimum lights around. 

Au revoir,

Miss Bee.

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Excuse me while I kiss the sky...

Moi!

There are a few, only a few, moments in life when you feel like someone up there has been listening to you. I experienced one of those moments on Saturday. 19th January, 2013, an otherwise insignificant date, gave me one of the best moments of my life. I am one of the few lucky people on the world who experienced Aurora Borealis- the northern lights on a trip to Lapland, Finland. 

I came all the way to Finland, for an exchange program, hoping I would see the northern lights. Damn, I even bought a new camera that could capture the lights. However, the forecasts said the probability of Aurora sightings seemed dim for the weekend. The weather was cloudy when we reached Lapland.; and everything made me think that all this effort, all that hope was worth nothing. Luckily, I was wrong. God, or at least the weather, gave me a peak at this beautiful phenomenon. 

It truly was one of the most amazing things I have seen, ever. I saw it for about fifteen to twenty minutes, after which they went a little too dim to be captured by the camera. The northern lights, were always in motion. At one minute they were in one part of the sky, and then somewhere else in the other. I don't really know how else to describe the feeling to you, except maybe saying it was 'beautiful' a million times or so. Words really seem futile for it. 

So here are the pictures I managed to capture. I'm so glad I bought this camera (Olympus SZ-14: It's really cool!) and it managed to capture the northern lights, as many other cameras that people around me were using couldn't. Therefore, a special thank you and a big hug to my daddy dearest who let me buy another camera! (I left mine in India. *hides face*)

Presenting Aurora Borealis: the northern lights! 

Sighted: 19th/20th January, 2013 

Timing: Around midnight 

Location: Lapland, Finland 

Note: None of the pictures are Photoshop-ed at all, apart from being stamped with the credit. You may use the pictures to post it elsewhere, with the blogger's permission, or if you provide sufficient credit. Thank you. 

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky..." 

-Jimi Hendrix 

I hope, someday, y'all get a chance to see the lights as well. :) Going to post more about Lapland soon!

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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Here's a beautiful video that will show you more about the northern lights (posted by VisitFinland).

The sun, the moon, and everything in between...

Moi!

The weather here, in Vaasa, Finland, is so weird. It's the coldest it has been since I've been here. It was -19 degrees Celsius this morning and I can see the sun today after maybe five or six days! *phew* I can't even begin to express how good it feels to see the sun. The afternoons here seem like Mumbai's evenings and the rest of the time feels like night. It's funny how the weather is so gloomy and dark, and the snow is, of course, white. Such a contrasting, pretty sight.
Even the Finns say that it's the darkest time of the year. I sure as hell believed them.... until right now.

It's -18 degrees Celsius, the sun is shining brightly, AND I can see the moon in the sky. It's beautiful! Also, thanks to daddy dearest, I bought a new camera. So, I've tried to take my first panorama shot, ever! I'd like to believe it's not so bad. These were all taken today. Enjoy the pictures!

The sun rising... my first ray of happiness today. :D 

Wish I could frame this scene up... So serene. 

  

And here comes the moon, at around 13:45...

My first panorama shot! Tried to get the moon and the sun in the same frame. Of course you can't see the sun because it's shining so brightly right now! Let's hope, I get better at this. 

Hopefully, I'll have pictures of the Aurora Borealis to share with you soon enough! (*IF* I get to see them) Heading to Santa Claus' Village this weekend! Ta-daaa!

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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The Finnish line...

Hei!

Happy new year! 2013 has been a 'new' year indeed. How? Well, for starters here I am writing a blog post, after God knows how long, in a temperature of 8 degrees Celsius below zero. Finally, finally, finally I'm here in Vaasa, Finland for an exchange program for a couple of months. Well, I've been here 10 days now and I'm both, glad and not so glad to be here.

In 10 days alone, I've experienced so much; a culture so different; a city so...white, thanks to all the snow as you will see; the weather so cold. It's been overwhelming. I've not only learnt news things in a new place, but I've learnt so much about myself. The further away I am out of my beautiful(referring to Mumbai), comfort zone, I'm finding bits and pieces of who I really am... or at least what I want to be like.

That's a lot of philosophy in one post, ain't it? Since it's my first post this year, I'd like to share a couple pictures of Vaasa for those of who, like me, had no idea a city called so existed. So here goes!

The view from my bedroom

First attempt at making rice. Doesn't look so good, does it? I blame it on the lighting. :P 

The portion in the picture is that of a frozen sea! And Finnish people actually find spots in it to go fishing! 

The university in Vaasa where I'm studying  

The university in Vaasa where I'm studying  

That's pretty much it for now. Shall write soon with more things to share about my experience here and about Finland. Lots of love to Mumbai, and everything/everyone in it! I really miss the warmth, the food, the sun, the people, the sound and even the traffic!


Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

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A new year and some old points....

Ni hao!

I wish all of you a very happy new year!

I pretty much wrote everything I could remember about the places I saw in Hong Kong, but I forgot to add some of the most important points that would make or break your trip. So here they come:

1.) FOOD: Oh yes! Dear vegetarians (and non-vegetarians alike), carry along lots of khakras, matthris, chivdas, and all that jazz because vegetarian food, and the kind you like is hard to come by. Non-vegetarians I was travelling with couldn't stomach the kind of food they have there. The meat is mostly just boiled, bland and... let's just say not to our taste. So, make sure you take all the farsans and snack items you can along to avoid hunger pangs and headaches.

2.) CHARGING ELECTRONIC ITEMS: This one can be a serious trip dampener; and it's going to be hard for me to explain. Yet, I'll try.
The plug points there, aren't the same as we use here. So unless, you have chargers that can be inserted in the thin plug points, using your appliances beyond one day will be tough. Luckily, I had a camera that needed batteries. In such a case, I advise you too to carry batteries from here, because a pair of batteries would cost you 10HKD more or less. Cut down your cost by carrying extra batteries.

As far as using your chargers are considered, buy cheap extensions from here and go; like I  said, Hong Kong is expensive.
I only needed my camera and thus the problem of charging my phone and Ipod didn't arise. However, I suggest you figure out a solution for that before leaving. Sorry, I can't be of much help here thanks to my seriously limited knowledge on batteries and chargers.

3.) WATER: Yes, my friend, water too is very expensive there. We were charged extra by the hotel for bottles of water. (yeah, they don't even give free bottles of water! Who does that?!) However, it's even more expensive in places like Ocean Park and Disneyland; 25 HKD to be precise. So tour travelers, guides, hotel staff, give water bottles at a cheaper cost. (5-15 HKD; depending on the source)
Furthermore, each person is allowed to carry only 500 ml of water inside these places. So make sure you have one fore each one.

*SLY TIP: Inside Disneyland,you will find drinking water booths. So you have free access to water in Disneyland and I suggest you fill your bottles before the end of the day too. ;)

4.) COMFORTABLE FOOTWEAR: Dear women, unless you are a pro, don't venture out in heels and fancy, delicate sandals. Wear comfy sandals, flip-flops or shoes to walk through the day without swollen, aching feet!

5.) LANGUAGE: I've mentioned this in my previous post, yet I'm going to repeat it. Language is an issue in Hong Kong!!!!! I'm not asking you to learn Cantonese and go; however, if there are specific, local places you need to visit in the town especially using local transport, ask the hotel staff to write the name of the places and the bus number, etc so that you can show it locals and get around easily.
In areas like Kowloon, we didn't have too much of an issue with the language; but that's that. People there, including hotel staff, receptionists, and everyone else you'd think would speak in English, do know the language but their verbal abilities are quite limited.

PLACES:
Apart from the ones that I've covered in previous posts, there are a few places I saw as quickly as I forgot about Shahrukh's Ra.one (horrendous movie). Hong Kong is a very modern city; a true concrete jungle in my opinion. So if you want to see the city, you pretty much have shopping malls and shopping streets to go too. I suggest you check out Tsim tsa sui (pronounced: sim sha sui). There are lots of branded as well as local shopping places around there and you'll have a good number of options to choose from.

So that sums up EVERYthing I had to share about my visit to Hong Kong. Hope you enjoyed reading all of it and it proves to be helpful if you plan to go there soon.

With hopes of knowledge-endowed travels and experiences worth sharing....

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

Now I tweet only on: https://twitter.com/#!/shoe_stopper

Three days in 6 minutes and 53 seconds....

Ni hao!

Finally, I managed to put all the small video clips together from my trip to Hong Kong. Excuse places where the video gets too shaky; couldn't help it when too many people are around. Hope you enjoy it. Some of them are too small; that's because I prefer to enjoy the moment than to get lost behind the camera. 

Enjoy!

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

I tweet on: https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj

Day 3--> The ocean is always alive....

Ni hao!

It was my last day in Hong Kong and things didn't go as I had hoped they would have. I wanted to go street-shopping, see the city and just walk all around the place... But everyone else had other ideas. I'm glad they did, because I got to see a place that I never expected would be so good!

The place that we went to on Day 3 was Ocean Park...

A park based entirely on the theme of the ocean and marine life, the Ocean Park has tons to offer. From some really crazy rides to some of the best marvels of nature... Ocean Park is worth spending a day at.
So here comes yet another picture-sque (literally) experience I'd like to share about! Enjoy!

Ocean Park  

Picture 1
Coral at the Grand Aquarium
Ocean Park

Ocean Park is divided into two sections, between which you can shuffle using their cable cars or their super fast train. I say use both once to travel. The two sections are called The Summit and The Waterfront.
First of all, make sure you pick up the map at the entrance, or else you'll have a hell of a time looking for places and getting the right show timings. Next, I think you should hit The Summit first so that you can see the dolphin show at its earliest and get done with it. Besides, I found The Summit more fun than The Waterfront.

The Summit

If you are going to The Summit first, take the cable car to get there, because it won't be too sunny and the view is fantastic!
The Summit has some really good rides that you shouldn't miss, such as The Flash (coolest thing ever), The Dragon (with THREE 360 degree turns!) and The Abyss (It's a 'drop' ride...*crazy feeling in the pit of my stomach*)... The rest were okay with no high rush to offer, so in case you're planning a half day trip here, miss the rest; no biggie.

The other things in this section you should see are:
The Dolphin show at the Ocean Theatre: Only if you want to see these intelligent creatures. The show isn't all that great. It's got the regular jumps and stunts we have seen dolphins do in movies and TV shows. It also has seals featuring in between doing some action of their own.

Picture 2
Dolphin Show at the Ocean Theatre
The Summit
Ocean Park

Picture 3
Dolphin Show at the Ocean Theatre
The Summit
Ocean Park

Picture 4
Seals Perform @ the Dolphin Show at the Ocean Theatre
The Summit
Ocean Park

Picture 5
Dolphin Show at the Ocean Theatre
The Summit
Ocean Park

Ocean Park Tower: It looks like one of the drop-rides, but is actually a very slow ride that takes you high (literally) to the top, constantly revolving 360 degrees so you can see the view all around the Ocean Park. Go if you want to a see a spectacular view and you have time; but once again, it can be missed. Nothing that you haven't seen from any of the other "view-points" in and around Honk Kong.

Picture 6
Ocean Park Tower

Sea Jelly Spectacular: My favourite place in this The Summit! I haven't seen so many kinds of jelly fish and that too so up-close... So I found this section filled with my "oohs" and "aahs", me being the nature lover... So if you are one too, do NOT miss it!

Picture 7
Sea Jelly Spectacular

Picture 8
Jelly Fish!!!
Sea Jelly Spectacular

Picture 9
Jelly Fish!!!
Sea Jelly Spectacular

Picture 10
Jelly Fish!!!
Sea Jelly Spectacular

Picture 11
Jelly Fish!!!
Sea Jelly Spectacular

There are tons of food joints around this section, so just pick one if you're hungry. One proper meal would cost a minimum of 50 HKD. (Also depending on what kind of a meal/cuisine you eat. Vegetarian Indian food is available here!)

Like I said, head to The Waterfront using their train service called the Ocean Express for a different experience. Besides, by this time the cable cars are so crowded that they have to shut entry for more passengers. It really isn't worth an hour's wait.

The Waterfront

Well, sadly there aren't many good rides here, or ones adults could check out at all, but fret not! There are loads of other things to treat yourself to in this section.

Panda Village: You absolutely have to see this!!!!!!!

A whole artificial section to suit the required environment has been made to house 2 giant pandas and 2 red pandas. I'm not sure how I felt after seeing these animals. At first, it was amusement and the greatest feeling of awe. But the teeny little activist in me came up and felt bad about how these animals are trapped far away from their natural habitat for human gratification. But all in all, I'm not sure if I'm ever going to get to see them in their natural habitat, so I'm glad to have had this opportunity. Too human, right? *ashamed*

Picture 12
Panda 1 was asleep when we got therePanda Village, Ocean Park 

Picture 13
Red Panda one playing aroundPanda Village, Ocean Park 

Picture 14
Panda 2 was eating happily. Reminds us of Po, doesn't he?Panda Village, Ocean Park 

Picture 15
Panda 1 sleeping away to glory
Panda Village, Ocean Park 

Do notice the environment they're living in. There were small chunks of ice patches and the whole place was under constant air-conditioning to keep them under required temperature levels (as you can probably see in the background).

Beavers!

Picture 16
Beavers at the Ocean Park!

Picture 17
Beavers at the Ocean Park!

Picture 18
Beavers at the Ocean Park!

Pandas, beavers, you'd expect something out of the ordinary to show up next, wouldn't you? That's right you should, because up next after the beavers came the goldfish!
Not cool enough? Well, they're really cool considering they had about 20 to 30 different TYPES of goldfish in the section right outside that of the beavers! Dekho, dekho...!

Picture 19
Goldfish!
Ocean Park

Picture 20
Goldfish!
Ocean Park

Picture 21
Goldfish!
"Blame me for being over-imaginative, but this ones face resembles that one a human's! Hai na?"
Ocean Park

Picture 22
Goldfish!
Ocean Park

After the Panda Village, the next place you should check out is the:

Emerald Trail: This place has some really cool birds and a rat snake! :P Yep, that's what I remember. You'd take less than 10 minutes to take a quick look around. Miss it if you aren't a bird fan; but if I'm not wrong they did have a white peacock in their collection! Well, the first connection I made of for white peacocks was to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows where Rowling mentions about the Albino peacock at the Malfoy Manor. Just saying. *shuts up*

The Grand Aquarium: Okay. Agreed that I love seeing natural life and all that, but even the people around me seemed to have enjoyed this place. So I say, go for it! Sharks, Octopus, real coral, sea horses and lots of other weird, alien fish adorn this aquarium. Yeh bhi dekho!

Picture 23
The Grand Aquarium

Picture 24
The Grand Aquarium

Picture 25
That's a sea-horse that looks like the weed that grows in its environment! To camouflage itself from bigger fish.
The Grand Aquarium

Picture 26
Sea-horse again!
The Grand Aquarium

Picture 26
And another type of sea-horse
The Grand Aquarium

Picture 27
Now that's a shark!!!!
The Grand Aquarium

Picture 28
Pay attention, earthlings!
The Grand Aquarium

Well, after all of this there's only one thing left to see (or not, actually), and that's their water, light and fire show. Using the fountains and lights for effects, they show 2 dragons moving from one side to the other; there's some fire on the water (how do they do that?), and some background music as well. I'd say if you've stayed back for the day you could give it a watch, but miss it for all you care, you won't be missing TOO much. The technology is great, but it isn't all that amazing.

Picture 29
Don't know if you can tell by the pictures, but those are supposed to be dragons. Mm-hmm.
Show at the Aqua City Lagoon 

Picture 30
Fire on water!
Show at the Aqua City Lagoon 

*Note: Everywhere you go in Hong Kong, for example in Disneyland or Ocean Park, the water is really very expensive. Each person is allowed to carry about 500ml of water. SO make sure you have it on you to save some money. (I saved 20 HKD on a single bottle like that. And a person does need at least one litre of water, so make sure you at least have 500ml.)
Also, sunglasses, a hat and probably some chewing gum/ chocolates would do you good considering you have to roam around a place the whole day and hop into a couple of rides as well.

That's where the day at Ocean Park comes to an end... Of course, you already know that we head back to Kowloon and hit Pizza Hut for another vegetarian meal; and then after another very tiring day, a cozy bed and sleep catch up to us....

Au revoir,
Miss Bee.

I tweet on: https://twitter.com/#!/DevikaBharadwaj