Not going after all....

Sigh.....after all the preparation and excitement drummed up for the Finland trip, I've decided to shelve the idea till next year. Came to this decision after I had a lengthy, but enlightening talk with the aunt who used to be a tour leader. Apparently, my aunt went to finland for a few times liao, and she said the best best time to visit the place would be during their summer, which is around June, when the temperature ranges around 20 degrees and the scandinavian sceneries are at their best! And during summer, it would be advisable to visit all 4 scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland) at one go, cos all roads would be safe and clear by that time. Sounds like a dream combination!!

The interesting thing I learnt was, to avoid European and US countries (basically countries where Caucasians are the majority) during the Christmas season. It seems that to the Caucasians, Christmas is like CNY to the Chinese, so they like to return to their hometowns to celebrate the holidays. Hence the cities would be quiet, and shops may stay closed for a longer period. And moreover, Dec in Finland is like perpetually dark, as there are only 4 hours of sunlight (11am-2pm). Hence no scenery to look at, and things may also be doubly expensive due to the skiing season going on at the same time. So now you can understand why its better that I go there later. My aunt mentioned that if I still wanna see snow in Finland, Feb is also ok, cos the snow would be really really thick by then, and temp may also not be so unbearingly low. Another good place to view snow is Japan and Korea, it seems. Since I dun like Korea, I was thinking maybe I can consider Hokkaido instead. Its cheaper than Finland, and I've always want to go there....wow....so many destinations to choose.......yum yum....=)