Adventures of Lydia & Calvin

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Aurora Hunting: The Hunt

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Tromso is touted as one of the best places to catch the Aurora or Northern Lights due to it's location within the aurora belt. To catch the Aurora, you would have to be outside the city itself as it is generally too bright to see it from the city due to the city lights. There are many tour or guide services that would drive you out of the city to locations that have a good chance of catching the aurora. The guide service typically range from 700 Nok to 1500 Nok depending on what's included. If you want to go on the cheap, I reckon that renting a car would be an option but you would need to know where to go.

We had made reservations with Ivar from Natur I Nord before we flew to Norway to go on an Aurora excursion on our first night (still had a second night to try just in case we weren't successful) in Tromso. The main reason for picking Ivar was that he was one of cheapest options at 700 Nok but at the same time had receive good reviews on tripadvisor. The excursion was scheduled for 7pm but he called us at about 5pm to inform us that the tour is cancelled since the weather was just horrible with rain and overcast skies making it quite impossible to see the lights. We were extremely disappointed but at the same time, appreciative that Ivar was very professional made the effort to call (this was to my Malaysian cell phone mind you) and cancel the tour.

The weather was still sucky the next day but we headed to the tourist information office to see if there were any other guides that would still try to catch the lights later at night even though the weather might not be favorable. We had flew all the way to Tromso so we figured we might as well risk it in spite of horrible odds of seeing the lights. We ended going with Francisco from Artic Guide Service for 850 Nok per person.

The weather in Tromso continued to be horrible the rest of the day so we had to drive 2.5 hours all the way to the Finnish border where the weather was some what better. When we got to the Finnish border there was some light rain and overcast skies but with some occasional openings. We waited for about 20 minutes with hot chocolate and cookies but the lights never came. They decided to try a different area on the way back to Tromso but the weather was much worse. In hindsight, we should have just waited for the lights back at the Finnish border. Oh well....

At the Finnish border

We would definitely recommend Artic Guide Service for anyone intending to go on a Aurora excursion. Their service is very professional with two drivers accompanying us, just the right amount of commentary on Tromso & background on the aurora and a genuine interest in making sure you have the most chance to catch the lights. We were pleasantly surprised when Francisco was deeply apologetic that we did not get to see the lights and offered us a refund stating that it was their fault for not staying longer at the Finnish border. That's some service..

At the end of the day, we were extremely on a failed hunt and were left with just enjoying the Aurora from pictures in our hotel room.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Aurora Hunting: Oslo to Tromso on SAS

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We headed back to the airport using the airport express train. Although relatively expensive if compared to other airport transportation options in Europe, it was really convenient. There was plenty of space for luggage, had power points for laptops and the seats were comfortable. We were at the airport 20 minutes after leaving the main train station in Oslo.

Oslo Train Station

Arriving at Oslo Airport

Aurora Hunting: Exploring Oslo - The Hotels

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We spent two nights in Oslo. Hotels as with everything else in Oslo is EXPENSIVE. A room at a decent hotel would cost about $200-$300 USD per night. We ended up splitting the two nights with the first night at the cheaper Radisson Blu Plaza thanks to a friends & family rate and the second night at the Doubletree to get a stay count to eventually get a free night as part of Hilton's Q4 Promo.

Radisson Blu Plaza

The Radisson is conveniently located 5 minutes by the main train station. This is the train station that you arrive in if you take the express from the airport. Check-in was prompt and efficient but we were not offered any upgrades as a Club Carlson Silver member. I didn't pursue the upgrade as I was using a friends & family rate and wanted to keep a low profile.

Rant: Recling seats in Economy Class

There has been much debate on flyertalk and blogs as to whether reclining seats in economy class is a right or not. I usually try to be courteous about this and will only fully recline when it's sleep time. On low cost airlines like Air Asia where the seat pitch is horrible, I tend to not recline and it is usually not a big deal since the flights are relatively short anyway.

I ran into a not so pleasant encounter on the seat recline issue on my recent Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Kuala Lumpur. This was a red eye flight leaving Doha at 8pm arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 7am. I was already somewhat tired from the long day and right after take-off, quickly fully reclined my seats right even before the seat belt signs going off. The guy behind me quickly tapped my shoulder and I assume he was just bothered I was reclining before I could. After the seat belt signs went off, I reclined again and he once again tapped my shoulders. I looked behind asking what his problem is and he said my reclined seat was hitting his knees.

Now this really annoyed the hell out of me. The seat pitch was Qatar Airways was a comfortable 34" and one of the most comfortable economy class seats I've been on. Would have understand if this was on United or Air Asia but Qatar... come on.. The guy wasn't even that tall (guessing he's around by height ~5 ft 10ish) so I couldn't understand what the big deal was. Yes, the seats might have touched his knees but with "clever" seating, he should be able to manage. He also had the seat next to him empty.

Needless to say, I just left my seat in recline and didn't feel his knees at all. What would you guys have done?

Aurora Hunting: Exploring Oslo - The Attractions

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It was still bright and sunny when we were done with the hotel check-in and a quick shower at about 4pm. Despite being somewhat tired from the flight, it was time to head out and explore the city. We just walked and walked while enjoying the great weather and beautiful architecture. We made our way from our hotel near the main train station all the way to the water front area of Aker Brygge.