4th of October, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Sweden / Finland.
Anders is a nice man. He is an engineer and leaves in a very isolated place. He likes the cold! He has travelled and lived for a while in North Cape, Norway. He has a meeting in Kiruna but he still has some time, so he drops me off in the road to Pajala. How nice of him!
I have to change my sign and write “Pajala”, so I walk into a big construction shop. I ask for a cardboard and a lovely lady helps me. Then I ask for a marker and an even more lovely man helps me too. He even offers me a cinnamon roll! What a treat! I go back to the road devouring my cinnamon roll.
I am not entirely sure about this hitchhiking spot. It is right after a roundabout but the cars come fast and there is not much space for parking.
An elderly worker in his pick-up stops and tells me he can drive me a bit further, to a better spot. Yay!
Now in a bus stop it takes only a few minutes for Daniel stop for me. He is going all the way to Pajala, to visit his mum! He is such a nice human being and even is a foster parent for two kids with his wife. We have a very good chat and before he drops me off in a gas station, he gives me “the best Swedish chocolate” in his words.
Break for another sign, this time written “Rovaniemi”, and here we go again!
I am sure that, as soon as I cross the border to Finland, it will be much easier to, not only reach Rovaniemi, but also to get lifts in general.
When Kale offers to drive me a bit further, to his village, I accept. He is driving his working van, going back home. We actually stop right in front of his house, this adorable Swedish style house, right by the road.
Here it takes some time for someone finally stop, about one hour. A few cars passed but nobody stopped.
But that’s OK because the lovely Suzana stops! She is so beautiful and stylish! Not only her clothes but her haircut is so cool! She is going back home, just to the border, to a small town called Pelle. I cannot believe when she tells me she has 3 children! She is so lovely and we have a nice chat over the little time we spend together.
She drives me pass the border, into the Finnish side, and drop me off on the highway to Rovaniemi. I wish we could have a longer drive together.
Soon enough a car with two mine workers stops. They are coming from Sweden, from work, but both are from Finland and live in Rovaniemi. Juha and Jarno are very kind and get surprised about my travels. They ask me where I want to be dropped off, and I tell them the best place would be by the Santa Claus Village, but it is a bit driving outside Rovaniemi so it is OK if they just stop by the city. But they are very kind and insist on driving me to the village. I stay just by the same spot as my previous time here, almost 3 months ago.
I was hoping to get somewhere further North. Further than Sodankylä, which is only one hour driving from here. It will be dark soon but I know I am safe with Finnish people, so I don’t mind if we drive into the night.
But for some reason when a man stops his car and say he is going to Sodankylä, I take it. Go figure!
I didn’t write his name down because we were in contact via email, but now I have lost access to that Gmail account of mine, so I don’t remember his name. But he is from Estonia, just working here in a mine, not so far from Sodankylä.
He is a very conservative man, and for that reason, I don’t tell him I am actually going to Russia, instead I say I am only crossing to Norway. He has a good heart and by the time he drops me off in Sodankylä, he tells me if I don’t manage to get a lift further North, I can come and stay over in the house where he and other workers from the mine are staying.
Because is still 8 p.m. I decide to keep hitchhiking towards North. It is the first time I hitchhike at night on the road. I just have this feeling that everything would be OK. I am not scared.
But after one hour nobody stops, so I decide to ask for wi-fi in the hotel where I am standing right in front, and write an email to the Estonian driver, and check with him if it is still OK if I come. In a few minutes he comes to the hotel because their house is only one block away.
He shares a room with an elderly man, who is already sleeping. He was actually already in bed when I sent him an email. But he quickly arranges something for me to eat, and that is very nice of him! I crash in the couch.
We wake up at 4 a.m. because they will leave at 5 for the mine. I am OK with that. I meet his roommate and he is also a very nice man. We have breakfast together and I make a sandwich for later. They tell me to get some other foods too, like fruits and yogurt, plus some candies. How sweet!
They drive me a bit outside, in front of a popular service station. It is still dark when I start to hitchhike. And super cold! But as earlier I start, better are my chances to cross the border with Russia today. And I have to!
My sign it says “Inari”, a town really further North, just before the border with Norway.
10 Years Around the World 