“You just put on these boots? Are you warm enough?” It was a cold cold early morning. We were leaving Vuollerim in minutes, Eivor came over to say hi, saw my plastic boots and asked. Same boots summer and winter haha. (But this time I were wearing 3 pairs of socks, fleece, wool, and I even had chemical warmers on my foot!)
“How long have you been away?” Any fishing in this one and a half year?” “No fishing? What a pity.” Orjan appeared in the middle of a pedestrian road when my friend and I just got off a bus, not even from a normal bus stop. I was wondering in what direction we should go to Hotel Vuollerim Gastgiveriet and there suddenly appeared a tall tall hippie angel! (We wanna thank the nice nice bus driver too!)
“…good shoes, gloves, hat, layers of clothes…we can help with good clothing.” Eva-Lena wrote to me thoughtfully. On our evening of arrival, Busy busy Eva-Lena rushed back to give us a warm greeting. [Eva-Lena, I could tell that you were still concerned if we were warm enough when we were having hot dogs in the sami tent :-)]
Greetings from all new and old friends in Vuollerim. Everyone in the hotel greeted me to say welcome back, I was very surprised. A kind of feeling going home, kind of going back to somewhere I know.
A house jumping dinner started in a sami tent in the hotel. Wonderful! This was where I had my dinners in 2010 summer. What a big difference the place looks in winter! I am lucky to be able to see both its summer and winter looks. I love cooking in a fire too! Eivor’s reindeer and moose, Orjan’s hot dogs, my char in an open fire, all are the best food and experience I ever had in the Lapland! Very meaningful to have a starter in the tent this time. Orjan was cooking hot dogs in an open fire again ^_^
Back to Eva-Lena’s home too! Dinner continued. Lovely! Super warm! I had char again ^_^ Casual chats, lots of laughs.
I am a cold-blooded person, with cold fingers and toes :-p but I got melted! with such incredibly warm hospitality! I felt like I was visiting old friends, I was not a tourist. Feelings difficult to explain.
Thank you very much, Eva-Lena and all.
This time I would not say bye bye but See You!
(My friend asked me to bring her and her little daughter to see Vuollerim, this unexplored pearl, when her daughter graduates from primary school in 3 years ^_^ )
Love Love Love.
Chiu-ching from Hong Kong.