Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 27 February 2026
So they finally made right decision and sent us to Asylum. So now I have language problem, as asylum is kind of safehouse, yet if I understood right from cartoons and movies...Asylum is place where you put worst of worst, most insane and mentally ill people.
As asylum seems to have also softer tone as safehouse or something like that, at least if you check google.
This week started as now is really time to push people off from cliff. First message on Monday morning from our team was that pipes are frozen at farm and no water. I rushed to check that and got water running with small magic tricks, which I had in my pocket.
Then came Tuesday. Really banging doors and yelling... Monday you don't know how to do it... I will show.
Absolutely full day at farm, first group and as I do safety drive between reindeers when guests are doing sleigh ride, do speed up some and slow down others. In first round snowmobile just turned off in middle of driving. I started it again, some beeb-beeb and engine warning light, it was moving and beebing, just moving enough so I could give reindeers from behind to pass.
Fingers crossed so they wouldn't hit full throttle in turn. I waited a while and started snowmobile, no beebing just warning light. I started to limb back as it was about 800 meters to go, hoping that I would get back to starting place. Of course not, it found final rest place from worst possible spot, narrowest spot on trail where reindeers couldn't pass snowmobile on second round.
I started to check what's wrong and found that main fuse box was melted because short circuit in fuse amid box. I had same issue few winters ago, on that time just changing fuse was enough, now box was melted totally.
I went to pick up quad, lighter one, and of course it didn't start as it has been standing whole winter. So I had to take bigger one, with risk that trail won't carry everywhere. We evacuated snowmobile, safety drives with quad. (Of course and I slipped from quad and hit my leg on safety iron, huge bruise coming up, which makes sleeping on left side impossible.)
Tuesday went and I was just happy that I'm alive, not mentally but still breathing. On Wednesday idea came up. We do need some kind of break even it is still high season. Tatjana, "our daughter" from Germany, was basically starting to kick us out, saying you need to have break. She told to take care of home, chickens, dogs and feeding of reindeer etc.
So I started look where to go. It has to be something nice to do around, no tourist, no Finnish people (skiing holidays are on in Finland). So that took basically Finland off the list, maybe Piteå, there we have nice friends, snooker and maybe even flycasting possibility.
So I found decent hotel nearby our friends. They would gladly take us on their home yet we felt easier to be in hotel this time. And hotel has perfect history for two of us.
It is built in 1892 or something like that. It was built as hospital in Northern part of Sweden covering needs for two region. In 1893 20th of October first patiences came from over crowded hospitals, 74 men. People would call those insane, so mentally ill or something like that. Week later same amount of women came with same diagnosis. Nice word would be Mental hospital, let's be honest, this is asylum. It has bright and dark stories and locals says it haunts here. I do understand, lobby, dining room... I can easily see horror movie being filmed here, like Shine.
Or was it ghosts I saw during breakfast. Anyway they finally found perfect final disposal site for me and Satu, Asylum turned as hotel. Before they locked us in permanently we will have some snooker, good food, great friends and small hope casting on Sunday.
Have a nice weekend and greetings from asylum
Mika