Let there be light #TravelGoal

The tour was to start at 6 pm, so having dumped my luggage I left the place almost immediately. I remember I had to be careful while walking, for more than once I slipped not realizing the ice below. While I waited to be picked up by our tour guide, a thorough look at the sky left me disappointed.

“No colors in sight yet.“, I sighed.

A little after 6 pm, I was in a bus with other tourists. Some of them had seen the lights before but had come to Tromso for a better view. “Wow, it seems I am at the right place“, I said to myself. We headed east towards the mountains, far from the city. En route, we had an interactive discussion on science behind the occurrence of the lights. Tromso being one of the many small islands of Norway, has an unpredictable weather and we had to keep moving to get under a clear sky, hence the term “chasing the lights” was truly justified. When we did find the right spot, it was time to go out in the open at sub zero temperatures for some picnic time.

I got started on setting my apparatus right. I had not done night photography before, but with some help, my camera was set with the tripod fixed firmly in around one feet of snow. While we waited, trying hard to see some colors above our heads, we at first mistook the city lights to be northern lights. In complete darkness, our senses could hear the gentle breeze and see a plethora of stars, thats about it.

It wasn't long before we saw a patch of green in the sky right above us. At first it seemed faint, but with time the color was obvious and could not be missed. It was a shimmering green light which, in the darkness, stood apart. On a moonless night , the stars shone brighter and the lights made the ambiance a lot more spectacular. It was a dream come true moment for me. Every penny spent on the trip, all the efforts that had gone into it, made complete sense.

Each one of us went into a frenzy. I had to capture the moment before the lights vanished. Though they were visible almost everyday in Norway, for me, it was my only chance of a lifetime. A few trial clicks led me to get a good hold of the precise camera settings required. As expected, the images turned out great, my first exposure to night photography. Though I did not see the lights “dance” as they are popularly known to, I thought “What if I could make them dance? “. With an idea of creating a time lapse video, I set my camera to click some pictures at quick intervals.

As the excitement subsided, we lit a bonfire and had our meal. Our tour guide told us stories associated the northern lights and how in ancient times they were termed as guiding lights for travelers. A little after we were done with food, we decided to head back to the city. The lights were still there, as if time had stood still for us to make the most of it. Given a choice I could have stayed there all night and yet ask for more :-). It was almost 3 am by the time I reached home and went to sleep. I remember having a good nights sleep with a hope of seeing my guiding lights again.

The next day I had the whole of morning and afternoon to myself. While the daylight lasted, I decided to explore my neighborhood. There weren’t many people on the streets except for school children. With snow everywhere, walking seemed a nightmare even for the locals.

Around 6 pm, I was ready to experience another adventure, witness another miracle. Though I was happy that I had seen the lights after all and would be okay if I did not get lucky a second time, I wanted to make each day count and go back with as many experiences and stories as I could. Unfortunately, around the time we were to start, it started snowing real hard. Disappointed deep inside, I tried to manage a smile as I boarded the bus and greeted others. The mood was sad, but we continued with our plan. Professional as they were, our tour guides kept constant contact with the Norway weather department and before long we heard good news, but it was far from simple. The plan was to drive around 150 kms to the border country of Finland. Apparently, the skies had cleared there. Though it was a long drive, we were all hopeful of seeing something spectacular.

We stopped a little after we had crossed the border to Finland. Our spot was near a frozen lake. The vast openness led to strong winds and low temperature. On the dark night, on one side there was land and other ice. Not a person in sight, no habitation, absolutely nothing. We walked some 100 meters towards the lake in search of even ground. With the only source of light being our head torches, it was difficult to walk in more than one feet snow carrying food, camera, tripod and many other things, being careful not to fall.

What we saw a little later, made the difference and it seemed driving over a hundred kilometers had paid off. While there was an abundance of green lights in the sky, we got lucky to see some violet colors too. We also saw the lights move and take various forms and shapes unlike the night before.

I could not let go another opportunity to create a time lapse video. This time round, the outcome was a lot better and I felt quite happy about it.

The next day I left Tromso for my return trip to India and as I shared pictures and videos, some appreciated them, some said I just got plain lucky. Nevertheless, I was thankful to have made the trip, to have believed in its success even when I was not sure what to expect, to have listened to my inner voice and work towards it.

Though my trip was short, the memories of my experience linger on. Tromso, with its natural beauty, clear sky, fresh air and the colorful treat for my eyes had rejuvenated me. I felt humbled at how unique earth is and nature has so much to offer. I returned home with a sense of achievement and content that what seemed insanity a few months back had happened in reality in the most beautiful way it could.

My experience was one of a lifetime, The belief in myself against all odds, two months of preparation, the travel of thousands of kilometers to experience two days of amazement and magic, was worth all the hype. I was indeed proud of my achievement and realized there is nothing impossible to achieve if we believe in ourselves and work towards it.