aphasaraAphasara is a new recruit at Maren Anna where she works as a cook. She comes from the town of Nakhan Sawan in Thailand where she worked in her mother’s restaurant. She has lived in Sørvågen for three years with her Norwegian husband and two year-old baby and has learnt Norwegian.


Rando-Lofoten: What did you feel or think when you first arrived here ?

Aphasara: Before moving here I came on holiday with my husband to Bodø in the north of Norway. It was in June, I woke up in the middle of the night and its was light. I shook my husband, telling him it was time to get up, that we’d slept until midday. He took me out to see the midnight sun (laughter). When I moved to Sørvågen it was very different.

I arrived on 15 December, it was permanently dark, there was snow everywhere and I was seven months pregnant. At the beginning I found it very hard because my husband works on an oil rig and is away from home every other month. I was on my own and the weather was… (laughter) no, I really don’t like winter! But when the sun returns, first of all for one hour and then two and so on, everyone begins to go out and we go for walks together, it’s really nice. Here in Sørvågen it’s a small place, it’s a bit like a family, the people are very friendly, everyone says hello. That only happens in the Lofoten Islands I think, I’ve been to other places in Norway such as Trondheim and it wasn’t the same.

R-L: What do you like about the Lofoten Islands ?

A: In summer I like everything here, it’s so lovely. You can enjoy the permanent daytime and go fishing at whatever time you like. After school the children can go and play outside all day, they go swimming in the village lake.

 


R-L: What’s the biggest difference for you between Thailand and Norway ?

A: Everything is different, the customs, society. At the beginning I missed Asian cuisine but that’s no longer a problem. What I miss is land, great stretches of flat land that you cross without having to cross water. In Norway wherever you want to go you always have to take a boat and I don’t like boats. I like walking but here in the Lofoten Islands I get vertigo!

bacalao

Bacalao (morue séchée réhydratée et cuite dans une sauce tomate à la manière portugaise).

photo d'Anette Bjørnsen

 

 

 

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Boat Shuttle

Reine/Vindstad/Kjerkfjord

forsfjord vindstad

If you want to go from Forsfjord power station to Vindstad (or vice versa), and you don’t want to rely on the boat shuttle MS Fjordkyss, it is now possible to do it by foot.

We provide GPX track, map and the description (in french only) for the section connecting Vindstad to Forsfjord. This new possibility is particularly interesting for hikers engaged in the great crossing of the Lofoten Islands trek.

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Where to sleep, eat, drink and more in the Lofoten Islands

As we are not a tourist office, we will only publish recommandations for places we think are hikers and backpackers friendly and that we have tested AND appreciated. This section will get more stuff as we go along.

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North of the archipellago

Laukvik
Brotoy: E Raftsundet
Kabelvag: Ip kamera skistua, kongstind
Henningsvær - Austvågøya

Center of the archipellago

Steine: F Hagskaret (Retning Stamsund)
Ballstad: havn i Lofoten, Vestvågøy, Nordland

South of the archipellago

E10 Kåkernbrua - Moskenesøya
Vindstad: E Akkarvika

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Download the official Lofoten Islands maps

Lofoten Islands maps, scale 1:50 000 (UMT33)  download them for free on hiking-lofoten!Maps from the Norwegian National Institute of Cartography (Kartverket) are available in high definition (Tiff) on a set of ten maps.  Essential to prepare your hikes in the Lofoten Islands...

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Northern lights forecast

Discover aurora forecast for Lofoten islands, thanks to NOAA POES satelitte from the "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"

GPS routes

  • The GPS hiking routes are finally available as free downloads from the Hikes section!
  • Discover eight new routes in the Lofoten Islands with detailed Topos from Rando-Lofoten.

Day Length in the Lofoten

The Lofoten archipelago is located above the Arctic Circle, the result of this situation is a period of permanent days in summer and at the opposite a period of permanent night in winter (polar night).

To organize properly your trips and expedition in this region, it is important to take this phenomenon into account due to the high latitude. Discover our sunset/sunrise calendar

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