Siv & John in northern Lapland - July 2002

 
   Lake Langas seen from above Saltoluokta tourist station

Visit to Saltoluokta  July 22 - 30
(with intermission for visit to Staloluokta)
Part 1
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Our bus stopped at Kebnats on the north side of Lake Langas. At the dock, the boat Langas was waiting for the passengers coming in on the bus from Gällivare.  The luggage is piled up on the deck and we leave the mooring. As we cross the lake, we get the most wonderful view towards the west end of the lake, which is part of the long lake system called Stora Lulevatten. At the dock on the Salto side of the lake, the tourist hotel extends a helping hand to overloaded travelers and transports non backpacks up the hill to the hotel. The path is bordered by mjölke and it leads gently up and up for a good 1/2 km. In front of the main building is an area set up as a terrace with tables and benches and there are people sitting around sunning themselves and chatting.

The one surprise was the fact that on arriving at your room, in the house called Laponia, in our case, you found out that there is no linen and you have to go back to the main building and discuss the matter with the management, where you can rent sheets and towels. You are supposed to know that at STF cabins you have to have your own linen, but some people are not aware of this and, after Abisko, where linen is provided, it comes as a small unpleasant surprise. It didn't matter.
 
The dining room is a pleasant experience after the less intimate atmosphere in Abisko. In Abisko, the small family 'ambiance' from 50 years ago has of course been taken over by a more anonymous crowd of all different ages who now line up for the hot main course and move around the table in the center of the vast dining room for starters and deserts, in anonymous groups, in couples and singles. Most people are friendly, even if not very chatty. You usually get a nod and a smile from the people at the table where you sit down, even if they remain somewhat distant when they hear our English.

In Salto there is more of a big-family feeling, for obvious reasons. We are served at the tables by very friendly young girls, mostly college students who do this as a summer job and combine it with walking and fishing on their days off. And everybody speaks excellent English (the same as in Abisko). The service is outstanding and, in view of the difference in size and general set-up, the ambiance is obviously more open and friendly than in a much bigger place like Abisko.

 The rooms are clean and pleasant, but no luxury of course. There  are a few rooms with private shower, but all the rooms cover the basic needs for this kind of vacation. You have to like a hard bed, but there are good lamps for evening reading and of course the view outside your window is priceless. There are enough public shower rooms to avoid the feeling that you have to wait your turn to get to the hot water. Signs make it clear to you, in case you don't realize it on your own, that you do not walk into the house with your hiking boots on, but you can very well walk around in your socks without feeling undressed. Slip-on sandals are very handy though, in this kind of set-up. Also the best thing to wear in the dining room.

We found out that next day there was going to be a guided tour by boat and on foot to Stora Sjöfallet and Hermelins fall and we signed up. It was a minimal group but we got off anyway. Our young guide's  name is Kristian and here we are on our way to Stora Sjöfallet which, sadly, is now a power station, except for beautiful Hermelins fall. You can just barely see a piece of Kristian's long hand-carved stick in front of a young fellow who I believe was a student from Uppsala.

The view from just before we got to Hermelins fall up the lake westwards is like a fairy tale. This waterfall is the only piece of falling water that is still left of Stora Sjöfallet which old some Sami people still remember before it got dammed up for  producing electric power. It must have been absolutely breathtaking. The old people can never quite get used to the way their nature was ruined by industry and the modern way of life. 



On the way back from Hermelins fall, we stopped at Sjöfallsstugan down by Lake Langas where Kristian made up a fire and we had some coffee at the 'fireplace' in front of the small abandoned looking cabin. It was assumed that you were carrying your own cup. This was the northern Swedish kind of 'boiled' coffee that we are not very  used to today, but it tasted good in those
 surroundings.  



We walked down to the lakeside after dinner (left), looking west up towards Stora Sjöfallet.


On the right is a view of late evening over Langas, on our first visit to Saltoluokta.













Go to Saltoluokta - Part 2

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