March 17, 2018 Saturday
After a long 5 and a half hours drive and two stops, we reached the Arctic Snow Hotel in Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland.
The place is all ice but when it’s summer the hotel closes.
I scooped some soft snow as soon as we got off the van for my snow-pack. The whole right side of my face was intensely aching for a dental attention and the snow pack could help numb the pain a bit.
My daughter asked the reception desk to find us a dentist but dental clinics were already closed by the time we reached their hotel. There are no clinics in the area because the Arctic Snow Hotel is also a half hour drive to the Rovaniemi city center.
Oyen booked a family glass igloo for the three of us.
It’s good for 4 people but my son couldn’t join us.
There are no bellboys here so kanya-kanyang hila ng maleta sa snow.
I hit my head hard against the low doorway. It was so hard I felt my neck got pushed down and my skull pressed down on my brains.
My husband blamed me kasi he didn’t want me to bring my maleta inside the room, sya na lang daw, syempre I didn’t want him to do everything for me so I tried to bring my own maleta in. Hayun, nauntog pa ako. Ang baba pala nung pinto, eh six-footer pa mandin ako.
Low and small door, glass igloo
I sat on the bed for a minute then I went inside the bathroom and used the toilet bowl as my seat. I started weeping. Weeping with a capital W. Everything that was going on around me in the past several days plus I was in pain were just too much and they kind of overwhelmed and frustrated me. I just couldn’t control my emotions and naiyak na lang ako ng naiyak.
After I calmed down and after we’ve dropped off our belongings, we walked back tot he main reception area to get some late lunch.
We didn’t wear anymore our thick winter jackets. I was wearing sweat pants and I could feel the icy cold creeping on my legs and knees.
There were no food here except buffet breakfast. We requested them to give us soup or whatever they could quickly prepare. They obliged.
They served us three bowls of hearty salmon soup that filled our stomachs. It was very tasty and could be a meal in itself.
A small chocolate cake or mousse was shared by father and daughter.
The receptionist contacted an emergency hospital that’s open for 24 hours but they too couldn’t provide me a dentist because it was a Saturday. Oyen spoke to the nurse on the other line. She was helpful though. She prescribed over the phone that I take ibuprofen instead of mefenemic acid. Kaya pala ayaw maalis ang sakit ng ipin ko dapat pala ibuprofen buti na lang merong Advil. The nurse said if I can survive the pain that Saturday I could survive till monday, when the dentist would be available. Ibuprofen helped the pain subside and I also continued taking the Amoxyl antibiotic. The pain was really intense because as soon as the effect of Advil started wearing off, naku po sasakit na naman.
Arctic Snow Hotel and Glass Igloo
Lehtoahontie 27, 97220 Rovaniemi, Finland
Phone: +358 40 8453774
