Posted on by Oselation!

Almaty Day 2 – Big Almaty Lake, Alma-Arasan Valley, First President Park …

Before I start to recount our second day in Almaty, a note for the reader. This blog is primarily a chronicle of my travels. It contains my thoughts, my observations, my joy, and my angst. It is my aide memoir for when the images get hazy. I share it for those who may enjoy reading it. It can also be a resource to plan a holiday. Or simply a good source of general knowledge. This is an honest blog; I am promoting nothing but travel and I receive no compensation of any kind.

Almaty Day 2

The thrill of having discovered a wonderful destination, so close to home, and all the walking and excitement, of our first day in Almaty, unfortunately, did not translate into a good night’s sleep. The room was too warm with the windows closed. Opening the windows admitted a cacophony of sounds. We heard screeching car tyres and music blaring from the cars of young pretenders. The merrymaking of revellers outside the next-door night club added to the noise. These are foreseeable disadvantages of staying in the heart of the city. But, to add to this problem, we were on the fourth floor. Cigarette fumes from guests and staff smoking outside the reception, directly below us, invaded the room at regular intervals. Diesel fumes from cars also made us very uncomfortable.

Not ones to be daunted by fitful sleep, we were dressed and down to breakfast by 6.45 am. We were headed to the Big Almaty Lake, Alma-Arasan Valley, Ayusay Waterfall and Hot Springs and First President Park. We had arranged a taxi through the hotel, to cover these sights.

We were to start with Big Almaty Lake. We drove through the city until we turned off from the First President Park towards Alma-Arasan Valley. It was a city drive through the business district. Tall buildings with glass windows gleamed in the sun. Even at 7.30 am, there was a lot of traffic on this freeway. A few kilometres after turning off, we entered the valley.

The day before had greeted us with autumn gold. Today, the heroes were copper and burnt sienna, generously splashed with gold. The hills were on fire and the sun was perfectly positioned for the trees to show off their finery.

Big Almaty Lake

The Big Almaty Lake is the water source for the city of Almaty, it is therefore, heavily guarded. Picnicking by the lake, swimming or bathing in it, is prohibited. The lake likely gets its name for being larger than other lakes nearby. Although small, it is a gem. It put turquoise in the word turquoise for me. It is like a painting, it’s opaque waters shimmering under the sun. It is nestled in the Tien Shan (Tian Shan) mountains. At the time of our visit, the slopes were sparsely covered with pine trees and were capped with snow. We sat on a bench on the grassy knoll, just below the road, and admired it. There were just a handful of people around, and with the traffic being restricted, hardly a car passed, sheer bliss.

Ayusay (Ayusai) Visitor Centre and Ayusay 1 Waterfall

This centre serves as a gateway to the remarkable natural landscapes of the Lake, Alma-Arasan valley, and the surrounding Tien Shan peaks. You can find details about these hiking trails, wildlife viewing opportunities, and cultural insights about the region at the Centre. The centre also has a nice cafe. You can sit out on the deck, bask in the sun, and admire the beautiful hills. It also offers clean toilets and free WiFi.

Behind the Centre is a path that leads to the Ayusay 1 Waterfall. For a few Tenge, you can hire a golf cart to take you to the waterfall. We took the golf cart, to save time. An example of Kazakh straightforwardness, was the golf cart driver dissuading us from taking the cart. He explained that the waterfall was not far, and the walk easy. He steered us there, chatted with us amiably. He shared information about the area. He also sportingly made fun of Kazakhs not being good at selecting names. The river, the gorge, and the waterfalls are all named Ayusay. He pointed out that the eco-cabins dotting the area were available for stays. Something that we would consider doing, if we returned.

Eco Cabin
Ayusay 1 Waterfall

Getting to Big Almaty Lake

Getting to the lake is complicated. One first needs to get to the Ayusay Visitor Centre. This could be by cab, self-driving, or hitchhiking. On weekends the shuttle from the First President Park, is also an option. It is possible to book a cab on the Yandex app to get to the Ayusay Centre. Note, you need a local mobile number to use the app. Local chips are easy and cheap to purchase. We met travellers who received complimentary local chips from their hotel, which they then loaded. We did not take a local number because we were walking to most places. When we needed a taxi, someone at the hotel reception would book us a cab through their Yandex app. We would pay the driver cash at the end of the ride. I have already mentioned how kind and helpful Almaty folk are. Even a random local would book you a cab.

At the time we were visiting, access to the lake by car was closed, as it often is. The legitimate options in this scenario are, walking to the lake along the road, an 11.5 km uphill walk. Easily 3.45 hrs each way, so whole day gone. Or, hiking along the pipeline using the metal stairs (8 km). This is difficult. The third option is renting an electric bike and cycling there and back, a minimum 1.20 hours travel time for up and back. The e-bikes need to be pedaled, the scenery is more easily enjoyed while coming back, on the downhill.

You can pre-book the e-bike through electrobikes.kz for 20,000 Tenge, or complete the formalities on site at the e-bike office near the Centre. There are three time slots for the “tour”, 9 am, 12 and 3 pm. It is however, not a tour, you are simply hiring the bike for 2 hours, helmet and vest included. Though the first slot is 9 am, expect the office to open a little later. A photo of your passport is kept in their record, and you sign a form undertaking to return the bike within 2 hrs.

The Lake is very close to the border with Kyrgyzstan. Carrying your passport, is imperative. There is a check post just before the lake. Not being able to produce your passport, entails a hefty fine, and missing out on seeing the Lake.

There is weak to no cell reception at, and ahead of the Ayusay Visitor Centre. Fortunately there is free WiFi at the Centre, the password can be found at the Information Desk. This is a godsend for booking the return ride. The return ride is not easy to find. Especially if you are trying to get back to the city later in the day. On the weekend, the electric shuttle bus that runs between the Centre and the First President Park is convenient. It costs 1000 Tenge per person, each way.

Clandestine Ways to get to the Lake

Tour operators, or taxi drivers via middlemen at your hotel offer tours, or rides till the Lake. In this scenario, the last stretch from about a kilometre ahead of the Centre, is undertaken hidden in the jeep of a forest guard. You are regularly admonished to stay bent over. Enjoying the scenery, or the ride is difficult. Beware there are stories of being held to ransom for the bribe.

To visit, or not to visit Big Almaty Lake

In my opinion, it is a must visit, if you can get there by cycle or car. Not worth the effort and time of hiking.

Alma-Arasan gorge and Ayusay 2 Waterfall

Next, we headed to the Alma-Arasan gorge which is is 1780 meters above sea level. In this area there are many interesting places and stunning landscapes. Among the most famous are Ayusay 2 Waterfall (Bear Falls) and a warm thermal-radon sulfuric spring, where anyone can swim. According to legend, Timur’s warriors were treated in this spring.

This is the northern slope of the Zailiysky Alatau mountains. Two rivers flow through the gorge – the Prohodnaya and the Kazachka. Closer to the city, they unite, forming the Bolshaya Almatinka River.

From the bottom of the Ayusay 2 Waterfall, a hike takes you to the hot springs. The hike is along the flowing river, across small river bridges, requires wading through shallow water, in places. It may take up to an hour to reach the top. At the top, you can bathe in cold and warm water tubs.

We did not hike to the spring. The rocks, till our eye could see, were high. Appeared slippery. We did not want to take the risk of an incident, so early in the trip. We would have liked to see the spring, but we had no plan to bathe in it.

Our driver compensated the time we saved on the spring by taking us to Almasai Restaurant. The Restaurant is located in a huge Yurt. It serves local cuisine, with smaller yurts and cabins alongside the river for dining. It is a beautiful spot to enjoy the stunning valley, the burbling river and the colourful trees and plants.

Lady Autumn at Ayusay 2 Waterfall
Almasai Restaurant

All in all, the Alma Arasan valley had a raw, untamed beauty which was captivating. The vibrant colours of fall, the rugged rock formations and the patches of green, contrasted beautifully with the lofty mountains.

Getting to Ayusay 2 Waterfall

One could get there by taxi or by bus number 28. This has a stop, to the left of First President Park (If you are facing it). On Dulati Street/ Avenue.

First President Park

The First President Park

From all this natural beauty we headed to the man made variety – the First President Park. This features a monument dedicated to Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s first president. The entrance is impressive, with its towering arches and masses of bright flowers. The park within was equally wonderful. The day was sunny and families were out and about, enjoying walks, picnics, ice-cream and the vibrant trees and flowers. We too enjoyed ice-cream and sandwiches from the kiosk within the park. Our first and only taste of Kazakh ice-cream. In the setting it was nectar, in hindsight it was more colour, less flavour. But then ice-cream is one of those things which even without flavour can enhance the mood. The park is scattered with benches. We got in forty winks, on one of them, to make up for the lack of sleep the night before.

We also ate our first Kazakh apple here. It is commonly believed that apples – originate from the very region we were wandering. They were spread across Asia, eventually reaching Europe, through the digestive systems of bears, other large mammals, horses, and humans who had discarded the cores, by the roadside on their travels. This, shall we say, near biblical pleasure, was soured a few days later, when we learnt from a local guide, that, in all probability the apple we ate was imported from China.

There are cherry trees in the park. In spring, this would be a good place to witness Sakura.

The park has musical fountains which were not in operation on the day of our visit. After dark, the fountains and music are synchronised with coloured lights for a show. As per accounts of other tourists, this spectacle is well worth enjoying.

To be noted, the Park has no toilets within. The toilets flank the stairs that lead to the arched entrance of the Park. While the Park has no entrance fee, the toilets had janitors collecting payment. The issue not being having to pay, but having small change. Small change is an issue everywhere. The locals just pay through their bank app. One lady on noticing my dilemma, kindly offered to pay for me. 

Getting to First President Park

The Park is easy to reach by bus and taxi.

Winding up Day 2

We returned to our hotel and took a peek at the tiny indoor pool and sauna. Rather than being cooped up, we decided to take a stroll through Panfilov Park. Then headed for early dinner to Darejani, a Georgian Restaurant, opposite Marina Roshcha, where we had lunch, the day before. I looked forward to our first “Khachapuri”. I teased my unsuspecting partner all the way there. Asking him if he wanted to have “Pani Puri” a popular Indian snack, or “Aloo Puri” a popular Indian meal. Puri in Hindi is a fried bread. I plied him with some good Georgian wine, and then we were introduced – the Adjaruli Khachapuri. A boat shaped bread roll with cheese and egg. It did not disappoint. The waiter made a production of it. Mixing the cheese and egg in front of us, explaining how to eat it, making the experience quite special. The other dishes we ordered, lamb kebab and the chicken in hazelnut sauce were flavourful. We were planning a holiday to Georgia before we finished the meal.

Another stroll through Panfilov Park, to work off dinner. A look in on the fun and games of the young people, and we turned in for the night.

Ascension Cathedral

The next day our Kazakh adventure was to continue. We were off on a two-day small group tour of Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon.

Kolsai Lake

Follow the blog, to not miss out on all the action. Share your thoughts, if you have already visited these places, or not. Do you feel the Big Almaty Lake is a must visit, or not? Ask questions, clear doubts, engage.

Posted on by Oselation!

Discovering Autumn and Freedom in Alamty

A few months back I scrolled upon a Reel, of what I thought was Europe, glimpsing trees turned all shades of yellow and being forever on the lookout for new European destinations to witness fall, I watched till the end. I was surprised to find that the setting was not Europe, rather my own continent, Asia, and the city and the surrounds were Almaty. The Reel was by an Indian, and suggested that all that was required was a passport and a ticket. I was sceptical about the claim that my Indian passport could get me there without a Visa.

Almaty a city in the south east of Kazakhstan was the country’s former capital. A quick search revealed that the city was old and beautiful but I was not able to fact check whether autumn manifests itself in Almaty, as vividly as portrayed in the Reel.

A couple of days later, in the second week of August 2024, while at work, I received an email from IndiGo airlines beckoning me to an online ticket Sale. Happy to take a break, I immediately indulged my curiosity.  I found that a return ticket from New Delhi to Almaty in October, when I assumed autumn would best manifest, would cost approximately Rs.23,000/- (about USD 280) and the flight took just 3 hours. This seemed too good a deal to pass up, my partner was busy at work, a couple of feet away. I reminded him of the Reel and the fall colours, told him the fare and said it was the last day of the Sale, he said “Buy the tickets!”. I queried, “For a 5 day trip?” he responded – 10. I felt that was a tad long for a Central Asian city, in my ignorance, supposing it would not have ten day much to offer, but my travel spirit decided against looking a gift horse in the mouth, I bought the tickets, outward on the 7th of October, 2024 and inward on the 17th.

The holiday was 2 months ahead, so I just forgot about it for a month. In mid-September, I started having kittens. I cross checked from several different sources about requiring a Visa, I found that a Visa was required for Indians for stays above 14 days and even then, could be obtained online. I looked up websites consulted Lonely Planet and found that there was a long list of places of natural beauty that could be visited keeping Almaty as the base. Taking local public transport to these places was not an option as the information available was sparse and language an issue. Kazakhstan being one of the states that was a part of the former USSR, is a perfect destination for anyone that speaks Russian or at least reads the Cyrillic script, without this, it is difficult to figure out the destinations on buses in time to board them. Incidentally even Kazakh is written in Cyrillic script. I made inquiries with local tour guides/ taxi services about visiting these sites and found that every quote was above 250 USD a day. This appeared more and more, a more expensive destination to witness fall than Europe with no guarantee that we would be able to witness it.

I asked my partner if we should just cancel the tickets, I feared that not only would there be no fall colours but anticipated a hostile environment where language and cultural barriers would make enjoyment difficult and expensive.

By now it was too late to apply for a Schengen Visa, and in any case, we did not have the appetite to jump through the hoops. My partner said to treat it as an adventure, his research found us a local Almaty tour company and we booked a two day tour to cover some of the sights- Kolsai and Kaindy Lakes and Charyn Canyon. I prepared lists of what we could do on sunny days, on rainy days, on lazy days. With ten days in hand, we could aim to do stuff at a leisurely pace, and we did.

For seven of the nine nights we were in Almaty, I chose a hotel in the heart of town, on the corner of Panfilov Park, the Renion Park Hotel, which conveniently, was also one of the pick-up points for our tour.

We landed in Almaty at 23.45 local time, the flight was choc-a-bloc with Indian students heading to Kazakhstan to study medicine, many on their first flight, this kept the short, no nonsense three hour flight interesting.

Out of caution, and as I would not have had KZT – Kazakh Tenge, the local currency, I had arranged the Taxi through our Hotel for 9000 Tenge, (approximately 1500 INR/ 18USD). The Hotel had arranged the taxi through the Airport Taxi kiosk, the driver contacted me on WhatsApp as soon as I landed and was waiting with a placard at arrivals. The Hotel took care of his payment. Had I taken the taxi through the facility at the airport, it would have been a tad cheaper and I could have paid by credit card or cash as, there was a currency exchange at the airport, open and operating.

Immigration, was smooth as butter. There were sufficient counters, we were efficiently pointed towards the vacant ones, the officer had a welcoming attitude, no questions asked, I breathed a sigh of relief when he stamped my passport, Hallelujah, I really did not require a Visa, someone valued my Indian Nationality.

Immigration was so fast that we had to wait for what seemed like eons for our baggage to come through, then we met our kindly driver, who chit chatted with us through google translate, he is looking forward to visiting Goa. The nightscape lead me to believe I was in a European city. Over the next 10 days it turned out to be that and so much more.

We were so excited; I don’t know how we slept.

We woke up to fall colours right outside our window and snow peaks in the backdrop. We had won the lottery. After a sumptuous breakfast at the Hotel, our first order of business was to find an ATM for cash and finding bathroom slippers, in our sizes. Hotel slippers are not for us and I had never before forgotten to carry ours, this transgression though gave our holiday even more purpose.

The shopping district of Arbat was at our doorstep, we easily withdrew cash on the Niyo Debit Card, from a local bank ATM, limit was 85000 Tenge, this would have been more than enough cash for the entire 10 days, as credit cards were readily accepted. The slipper shopping we left for after sunset.

Cash in hand, we set off to discover the city. We walked lovely tree lined streets, resplendent in autumn colours. The people were going about their business. Every interaction was kindly, we walked past the Green Market, choosing not to enter it, we didn’t want to be indoors. We knew we were wandering in the opposite direction of Panfilov Park where we had planned to head, but we just kept on walking.

Random Shots

On seeing a golden orb in the sky, we gravitated towards it, it was the Almaty Central Mosque. With flamboyant golden domes but an understated exterior. There were mostly tourists around the mosque, no call by the muezzin, in fact in 10 days we never heard a single Aazaan. While admiring the mosque façade, I eavesdropped on a guide explaining that the mosque used to be an unassuming wooden house in the soviet era, as religion was not practiced openly and the present mosque was built in the recent past when that house burnt down. I slowly understood that the Kazakhs had taken the best of the soviet and blended it with their spirituality, religion here was deeply private not to be brandished not to be imposed, not to be talked about. This so resounded with us.

Almaty Central Mosque

Back to the group with the guide, she lead them into the mosque covering her head, as did the other ladies, I followed suit, and we entered the mosque, viewing it from a gallery that appeared to have been designed exactly with the purpose of tourists getting a glimpse within without disturbing those at prayer. It was peaceful, full of light, with lovely blue tiles and a handful of people offering prayers. As we all exited the mosque, I realized the group was Italian, not one to miss a chance to chat in Italian with people, who like me love to chat, I greeted them with ‘Salve Signori’ and that is all that was needed for us to discuss their country, our country, their travel to ours, ours to theirs and then I said to them that I was happy that I had met them on a day on which we were rejoicing in the immense sense of freedom that we felt on being able to travel outside our country for the first time, without requiring a visa and one of the ladies said so you are ‘Kazakh’, I said no I am Indian, she smiled and reminded me that Kazakh literally means freeman, as this was a land of nomads and I repeated proudly, yes, I am Kazakh.

The rest of the day was joyous and free dedicated to the sights, sounds and sensations of Panfilov Park. We strolled leisurely through it, our heads breaking the fall of the golden leaves as they cascaded down in the gentle breeze. Sat before the Ascension Cathedral dumbfounded by this intricate wooden wonder, which is built without the use of a single nail, breathing in the roses that surrounded us, then entering it to be blinded with its byzantine lucre. Admired the mammoth Monument of Glory. Were amused by the horse carriages carting around tourists with loud Hindi music playing for the benefit of the Indian tourists who are so so welcome and cared for, in every establishment in Almaty. Charmed by locals who while walking through the park on their daily business, were observant and kind, and insisted on taking a photo for you, on spotting you taking a selfie. Surprised by the warm sunny weather.

When hunger pangs struck, we walked to the opposite end of the park from our hotel and had huge bowls Borscht (Ukranian Soup) at the Russian Restaurant Marina Roshcha, with interesting curios on its walls, including AK47s.  This was followed by imbibing amber coloured, apricot Arak at Agosto Cofffee in the Park , it felt like we were sipping autumn. It was cold by now and the warm clothes that had been shed in the morning warmth now came handy to sit out in the strong breeze and witness the falling leaves.

We managed to find slippers for me, after a lovely interaction with the stall owner, all thanks to Google Translate. We had a not so interesting kebab dinner at a canteen type establishment and then an interesting chitchat with a couple of security guards at a supermarket that we ducked into to buy water.  

Water dumped at the Hotel, we went back into Panfilov Park to see the cathedral by night. We were awestruck. It felt like fairyland. In this backdrop there were youngsters playing sport, putting the space to good use, enjoying life, with us as spectators, enjoying the view, enjoying the game, enjoying us and enjoying freedom.

We walked the short distance to our hotel and went to bed early, in anticipation of the early start the next day for our adventure to the Big Almaty Lake.

Posted on by Oselation!

Love is in the Air

A Facebook post titled ‘Flying High with Newly Weds’, a cynical take by a sixty something flyer on a newlywed couple’s antics on a flight, lead me to write this post. Just to give you a little bearing of where I am coming from, this gentleman was sitting next to this couple and has poked fun at the goings-on during the flight, no there was nothing untoward or ‘mile high club like’ it was just stuff like mutual adoration, pulling out the longest noodle from their cup noodles competition etc. that he has commented upon and seriously doubted that these sentiments would last more than a couple of years.

This lead me to want to share my flying experiences as a couple. My partner and I have made dozens of flight trips together and to disappoint that cynical writer, the narrative has remained pretty much the same. Yes there is that wee bit of tension while locking the house and getting to the airport as I am happy go lucky to an extreme and he more circumspect about locking the house, needing to check things like the gas mains being switched off, the windows and doors being secured, not once but multiple times. He also likes to get to the airport three hours in advance, I resisted this for a few years fearing that the journeys were as it is so long and that this just added to them, therefore unnecessarily exhausting us further, but he has now won me over with the argument that the earlier we go to the airport , the earlier our holiday starts and I am now a convert to his way of thinking. What also helped is getting an Airport Lounge Membership, so its truly relax time, once we get through immigration and security.

The fun starts at the check-in counter itself, in more recent times, having web checked in and being at the airport three hours in advance we sail through check inn, this post is not about the minor skirmishes that we have faced at this stage thanks to incompetent staff so I need not elaborate on them. Then we head for immigration, we always go to the immigration guy together, yes they are mostly guys, the only time that I recollect the immigration officer being a lady was at Dubai Airport. We have a little chat with him, if he is so inclined, we have left most immigration officers, if not laughing, at the least smiling in our wake. Then it is off to security, we unfortunately have to separate ways for a bit, I always say a cheery Hello to the officer and stand like a scarecrow with my arms out at the sides for the body check and invariably get a compliment for being such a good subject. We then unite like long lost lovers and just as we reach the duty free shops, I let out a loud whoop, this whoop is unchanged over all the years, and even though I write of it here it is absolutely spontaneous. Then we head to eat/ lounge and get on the flight. When the configuration is such that there would be someone sitting alongside us, we get on the flight with some trepidation. Over the years I realized that rather than thinking of this person as the enemy, he or she should be befriended and since then, I have taught many a bucolic ‘Bebe’ (old lady) who would be petrified of the journey to relax, sit back, on occasion on her being willing to have a drink, Bailey’s is always a hit, and watch the TV. For us, her guffaws thereafter on the Hindi comedy she is watching simply add to our romance.

Now, about us love birds. On takeoff, we hitherto unreligious types, do say a prayer for a safe flight and another chanceless holiday.

The discussion about how many movies we are going to watch starts weeks before taking the flight, once we get on the first thing we do is check-out the movies, we then have a discussion over these and yes (fanfare) we must watch all movies in unison, so they are timed or when necessary paused while the other gets there as we want to have the identical flight experience. We hold hands, laugh and cry together. Then comes the discussion on the drinks and food, this is painstaking, yes we could well be in a Michelin star restaurant. The wine bottle is stared at to see if it is any good, the juice quality is considered and then the same drink is ordered, my partner will as at home land up feeding a part of his snack to me, cause I have gobbled mine up fast and he lovingly wants to feed me his. Drinks are matched, jokes are cracked with the air hostess, she is always ready to supply us whatever and whenever but other than getting even happier we have never drunk ourselves silly on a flight nor would we encourage anyone else to.

Now, starts the tango as two hours into the flight our hearty size and its infringing on the others space becomes more obvious, my partner sleeps more easily, so on occasion I will let him sprawl into my chair and go and stand in another quiet cabin so that he can spread out and have a good sleep, these days, as we invariably go on road trips and he has to start driving the moment he lands in a foreign country, letting him sleep is probably selfish rather than benevolent on my part. But, now I come to the most romantic part of my journey, it is when I need to use the loo, till date, not a flight has gone by, when he does not first clean the entire loo and only then let me enter, this act for me is the most romantic act of all, on these journeys and yes, it makes me feel like a queen and makes me think of him as an Olympic gold medalist.

Let’s hope love is in the air, again, soon.

Posted on by Oselation! · 3 Comments

A Little Bit of Magic

There is a little bit of magic in all our lives. But do we always notice and acknowledge it?

I, personally, look for magic and find it more often than not, and finding magic can make a mundane and ordinary day into an extra-ordinarily happy one, it makes you feel special, it makes you feel that the universe thinks about you and cares for you and that you will be fine, no matter what rages around you.

This is an account of a little bit of fragrant magic that tickled my nose a couple of days back.

Since my partner and I pretty much lived from one travel to another, the hiatus that the dastardly Coronavirus has brought to this activity means that we have had to learn to live our life differently. Yet the travel bug causes an itch ever so often, re-living memories of old trips is the only salve for the present.

Last week we were going through our photos from 2018, of a trip to Finland at this time of the year. I shared the Facebook memory from our stay at a resort in Kivijarvi in Central Finland and in response a lovely Finnish lady whom we had befriended at the same resort in 2018, commented that she was there as she wrote. I replied, asking her to remember us to the beautiful Kivijarvi and to enjoy on our behalf as well.

Kivijarvi

One of the memories synonymous with Kivijarvi, is a sensory memory, that of the sweet perfume that is emitted when you burn logs with lichen growing on them. We had been in Finland some two weeks before we reached the resort at Kivijarvi, and even though every place we had stayed at, had had a fireplace with the fire set-up, we had not lit a single one, feeling anxious that our lack of experience in how to go about it may render the wooden cabins unsafe. While in Kivijarvi we decided it was not rocket science, and not wanting to miss out on the opportunity went ahead and lit one. Soon after lighting the fire, a sweet smell pervaded our cabin, we were perplexed, we tried to solve the mystery, we checked for spills from our perfume bottles and found none. It was only when my partner went to add a log to the fire that he noticed the lichen and figured out that that was our fragrant friend.

Lichen Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

We continued to light the fire the entire week we were in there and thoroughly enjoyed, what we termed as our aroma therapy.

Fire, Fragrance of Lichen and Game of Thrones, an awesome combination

Now let’s transport back to the present. A day after the Facebook post sharing the memories of Kivijarvi and the comment from my Finnish friend, I entered my living room late at night and was enveloped with the sweet smell of burning lichen, I was nonplussed, I attributed it to my fecund imagination and ability to re-create sensations felt in the past, I said nothing. A minute later my partner entered the room and started looking for a fire, I knew then that it was not my imagination.

That night the perfume surrounded us, we sat in silence, the memories of Finland and Kivijarvi playing in our mind, the endless blue water, the green woods, the colourful wildflowers thronging the roads, the midnight sun, playing Mölkky with our Finnish friends and on and on.

There was no explanation for the fragrance. We were in the height of summer, it was late night, there was no fire lit in our house or in the vicinity, not that the wood would even have lichen in our neck of the woods. We felt blessed, chosen, special. The only explanation – Magic. Our friend in Finland probably lit a fire, thought of us and sent scent magic our way. Thank you life, friend and Universe!

Look for your little bit of Magic….