Just returned from a 2 week expedition in the arctic circle in Lapland in the far north of Finland. I went there with a group of friends (more balloon pilots) to explore the area and fly balloons. We were in a place called Levi, which is a ski resort, where we flew balloons, skied, and made merry for 10 days. The temperatures in Levi ranged from -15 Celsius to -31 Celsius. Very cold, but I was amazed to note that the body adapts to the temperatures really fast. When we arrived there, the temperature was –31 Celsius, and I thought that I would freeze, but during the next few days, when the temperature was –10 or –15, I thought “ah, nice and warm”.
I flew from Delhi to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam, together with my friends Jan Oudenampsen and Dirk Remmelink, drove 2700 Kms to Lapland with the four balloons and 2 cars. The trip took all of 4 days (including a small mishap with one of the cars). We were joined by Gabi, Siegfried, Johan and Ad-Jan.
In Levi, we had a week of Ballooning, Skiing, Skimobiling, Night Clubbing etc. The Ballooning was great, since it was the first time that there were so many balloons in the area. We had to be really careful because of the cold, where the mind, body and equipment are in constant danger of freezing.
Attached are some photo’s of the expedition.
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