COMMENTARY: Find me an eco-friendly alternative to November in Thailand
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By Mikko-Pekka Heikkinen
Darkness has fallen. Attempting to soften the blow by putting the hands of the clock back an hour is about as much use as taking Ibuprofen for a case of rabies.
Some altogether stronger medicine is required for the Finnish winter, and particularly for the "black winters" of Southern Finland.
Many choose a course of Thailand.
Thailand's depiction as "the new Canaries" is even something of an understatement, since the destination has in recent years grabbed the imagination of older package-tour passengers and the younger independent backpacker set alike.
In other words, just about everybody.
Me, too.
I think Thailand is a fantastic place for a vacation.
However...now things are such that the Finns had better start coming up with other means of fighting off the blues of the winter gloom than popping over to the other side of the globe.
We cannot keep up the present approach, simply because of the effect on the climate.
A return trip for one from Helsinki to Bangkok has a jack-booted carbon footprint equivalent to driving the car for nearly three years.
Hitherto long-haul flying has been restricted only by the personal pangs of conscience of the passenger at the ungodly emissions created, and at least on the strength of the popularity of such holidays, these pangs seem rather small in the Finnish heart.
In future a stop to long leisure flights may be made by the legislators, if they can summon up the bottle from somewhere to make such difficult decisions.
It is an awkward situation. Light at the end of the winter tunnel is promised only some time four or five months hence.
How are we to get through this annual awfulness?
The temptation to fly off to the Andaman Sea coast is enormous!
Therefore I ask you, dear readers: what would be a suitable replacement therapy for Thailand, in order to stave off SAD and other winter ailments?
The environment would doubtless be very grateful if one were to shut oneself up at home and consume drinks flavoured with home-grown berries.
Or should one take the train to St. Petersburg? Or the bus to Poland?
And would it be any fun if we did?
Can anything refresh the soul as much as the bright sunshine of Siam?
You tell me. My e-mail address is below.
A copy to international@sanoma.fi wouldn't go amiss, either, and I will report on some of the suggestions in a couple of weeks.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 31.10.2009
MIKKO-PEKKA HEIKKINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
mikko-pekka.heikkinen@hs.fi
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| 3.11.2009 - THIS WEEK |
 COMMENTARY: Find me an eco-friendly alternative to November in Thailand |
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