This morning at about 1.45am... Yes a.m..... We gathered outside our lovely warm ship, and we were taken down to put our SERIOUS outdoor gear on, prior to our "search for the Lights" tour. Finally dressed in our inter-stellar explorer clothing, we were ushered outside to our "steeds" (flash snow-mobiles).
All lined up in groups of 5 or 6 per line, engines quietly turning over, Leiths being in Line 2, expectantly awaiting the next instructions.....
Suddenly, one of the steeds flashed forward at full speed, obviously out of control; crashed square-on into the snow mobile which was stationary in front. Bodies and machines everywhere. Very ungraciously, we shrieked - it was like something out of a Monty Python sketch. Anyway, all was okay, nobody injured, but the driver was consigned to the pillion seat, never to be allowed to drive this beast again. (These were two 'girls' on our tour).
So, off we ventured into the darkness....
Absolutely bloody freezing, sleet, snow, wind, total darkness.... WTF are we doing out here?
Are we having fun yet???
With a stop or two along the way, god only knows what for, this continued for an hour or so.
Then, just in front of us there was Episode 2 of the night's entertainment...... Same 2 girls, only this time, with the different driver, they had overturned the sled into a ditch, and once again there were bodies and machines all over the place!!
Again nobody was hurt ( the snow was about half a meter deep), and it kept us amused for a while at the time, and since then, of course.
This time they were BOTH sacked! And had to spend the rest of the 'tour' time in the accompanying bus! Lucky them!!
This time they were BOTH sacked! And had to spend the rest of the 'tour' time in the accompanying bus! Lucky them!!
The weather continued to be appalling, the visibility nil, and the whole point of the exercise was lost. Our progress was so slow we were going to miss our reccy with the ship, so we turned around and went back to our departure point.
By this stage, the sleet was penetrating my helmet, and my hat; my feet had lost all feeling, and I was just huddled into Arthur's back, eyes tightly closed, determined to just SURVIVE until this ordeal ended. It did. They had cut it so short, they had brought buses to pick us up out in the boondocks, and we just abandoned our snow sleds and climbed on board....
This experience was SO bad, it eclipsed even the Snow Hotel.......
Got into bed about 4.30am..... Woke up with feet still frozen 5 hours later!
The tour people really should have called the whole thing off, but they would've had to refund thousands of dollars, and they weren't too keen on doing that I reckon!
Very s-l-o-w day.... Afternoon nap which turned into nearly 3 hours. I deserved it.......
Some folk waited up and went ashore to a service at midnight in a Church. Not this little black duck! Tucked up in my little doona.
Monday 25th, Norway..... Somewhere.
Little excursion this morning for a couple of hours, on and off some small islands along the coast, both by bus and ferry.
Weather continues to be appalling. Very disappointing for sightseeing, as the coast is stunning.
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