kiruna! LKAB mine and icehotel

ok this entry is about kiruna where we went to the LKAB mine and ice hotel.
so like ya.. on monday, had to wake up freaking early (3.30am) to get ready to go to kiruna.. cus the bus is like departing at like 4.45am.
took the bus in the morning had a 4-5 hrs bus ride to the LKAB mine.
apparently this mine produces like some type of iron called pellets i tink or something like tt.. which apparently consist of a very high percentage of iron thus very expensive which allows them to invest a lot in technology. so like their mining is like all done by machines/robots where the engineers control the machines from another room qte far off so as not to damage their ears from the noise and all... cool rite?
so then the mine is like at one of the mountain whereby the town kiruna resides on (apparently kiruna town was founded due to the mining thingy) but like cus the mining of the iron ore consist of digging/drilling a hole into the mountain at a certain angle it resulted in like the collapsing of the overhanging cliff.. (chim stuff i know.. should draw a diagram but..... oh wells) so then like in apparently dunnoe how many years' time kiruna town will have to be relocated due to the mining as kiruna is located at the overhanging cliff... ya..
then like urm... basically qte cool.. walked around saw all the old machineries that they used...

a dummy miner near the entrance of the tourist centre which is located like dunnoe how many hundreds/thousands metres into the mountain.
the train that was used to ferry the iron ores and random rocks out of the mountain.
so after the trip to LKAB mine.. we went to a nearby church to see see look see see and basically waste time..
ok la not bad.. (seen too many churches liao i tink and this one is more of a small town kind so just have like drawing and nothing much.. ) pretty in its simplicity i guess..
so after we went to the restaurant opposite the ice hotel to have lunch.. buffet!!! was like a fish galore... smoked salmon, herring in like lemon juice, herring in like tomato, herring in cream... ya u get the point... not bad tho the food..
after we each had to get like this sticker to show that we are visitors and whats not...
the 2 korean guys and their "ice hotel" stickers.
so basically ice hotel is built yearly around november.. and the work lasted thro to march. whereby it is finally done.
each year there is a recruitment for the sculpturers from all over the world and hence the different designs each year..
it started off with just an igloo.. whereby the founder of ice hotel invited some lost visitors to stay at his igloo. apparently the visitors, after a night's stay praised it and said it was qte interesting experience and it wasnt cold.. and hence the idea of icehotel is formed.. (something to that extent)
so then like.. each year the ice hotel just grew bigger and bigger.. and guests are alowed to stay in the ice hotel since dec thru to apr where the ice hotel will then slowly melts away...
there's a big lake nearby where the ice used to make ice hotel is being taken from.. a year in advance.. and put into storage...
the clear transparent nature of the ice is due to the speed of the river flow when it starts to freeze.. and apparently the rate of the flow in the river is optimal la..
guests who stayed in the icehotel in dec have the opportunity of seeing the making of the icehotel slowly and meet the designers and sculpturers in person... so like ther are pros and cons la...
so like in dec the main reception area would be done and like certain rooms are like finished so its like rented out.. and the creation of ice hotel is like room to room.. corridor to corridor...
toilet wise.. it was tried out one year but the maintenance of it was like a torture for the staff (cleaning up frozen shit and pee is not joke mans) and so toilets are as per normal in a seperate building nearby. so like in the middle of the night if u have to pee, u need to walk out of the hotel to the adjacent toilet building to use the facilites...
a plague made from ice for the sculpturers of this year's ice hotel
in the icehotel, there is this ice bar which is in conjection with absolut.. and hence is called absolut icebar.. so whatever drinks u order, there will be some variety of absolut in the drink.
the chairs, tables, bartop are all made of ice... even the glass itself..
so like u will need to have a change of glass after like 6-7 drinks cus the bottom of the glass would have melted away by then...
the highest record od drinks in a single glass is 22 but apparently the guy had to be carried out by his mates...
there are also ice bars around other than in kiruna.. there's one in stockholm and tokyo.. i tink.. and the concept is basically the same.. same kinda glasses.. so these glassesd have to be made and stored...
the guide holding an ice glass
the entrance of the hotel. which (electronic- sensor) glass doors... cool or what?
the beds... basically its a normal bed, bed frame, mattress (all non ice) with like some fur of some poor animals and pillows.. but the room in itself is all made of ice.. the design of the room, the entire room - the walls, the ceiling etc...
so then there are like 1 kinds of rooms.. one is the normal kind (as shown above) where it is jsut a bed in a normal room... another kind is the suite whereby there is a different theme for each room... each designer is given a room to design themselves.. so ya..
and the guests are allowed to do ice sculpturing.. there are like lessons being held for ice sculpturing.. so ya...
the ice sculptures done by the guests..
this is like the design in one of the room.. apparently this room is about like factory work or something and it shows like the manufacturing line of the ice glasses...
outside each suite.. there is a description of the room and who is it done by etc..
(this has no connection to the description above) this is basically one of the many many designs around...
another theme is like shoes or something.. basically the "pillars" are all feets in heels... ya u get the point.
this is about adam and eve and the apple...


so then outside the ice otel.. there is actually an ice church.. and people from all over actually travel here to get married... and the best thing is that the bride normally jsut wear the traditional weddign gown. DUP COLD LA... so that's why the ceremony never last more than like 20 minutes.. cool shit..
this is apparently a guy dressed in the traditional saami outfit with a reindeer pulling a seat which is for the bride... so he is like waiting for the bride to come out of the church.. sadly.. i didnt managed to catch sight of the bride but then i saw pictures taken by others who saw the bride..
apparently the bride not very pretty... the bridesmaid prettier.. =x
yup so then after tt took another 4-5 hours bus ride back to lulea... and that bout rounds up a day... :))))