Exiled to North America’s

Exiled to North America’s “Ningguta,” Yet Experiencing a Super-Warm Journey ❄️❤️ Just before Thanksgiving, with some annual leave, five of us headed to Fairbanks to chase the aurora. Thinking of the snow-covered roads and being unfamiliar with the area, I decisively looked for a local guide to join us — ensuring both safety and effective aurora chasing. I didn’t have high expectations for the trip; I figured it’d be a routine, superficial tour. But surprise! Our group of 11 in the van were all around the same age, and the vibe was amazing 🤗🚐✨. The first two days were cloudy, so no aurora. On the second day, we drove the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle landmark 📍. Along the way, everything was covered in snow, with vegetation weighed down by it — what the guide called the “👹 Forest.” I often wondered on the road: if I were driving here alone, would the desolate scenery scare me to tears? 😅. There’s hardly any rescue infrastructure here — just thinking about it made me shiver 🥶. 🌟 The Dalton Highway is a dirt and gravel haul road. Apart from our guide’s vehicle, there were only massive trucks 🚛, and drivers communicated via radio. Friends considering self-driving: do your homework first and pack all necessary rescue gear, especially things like a satellite phone — my phone had absolutely no signal 🙄📵. Luckily, there was Wi-Fi in the van! After about four or five hours, we reached the Arctic Circle marker. On the way back, we ate beef noodles made by a local Westerner (thought it’d be bad, but it was actually okay — add some chili oil and vinegar, and it was delicious 🍜🔥; all five of us finished it). Even though it was just a check-in spot, it felt meaningful! After all, this is 66°33′ N from geography class haha 🌍❄️. 🌟 Then we went to Denali National Park. The scenery along the way was beautiful, and we even captured some “artificial” snowy slow-motion clips 📸❄️ (exclusive for our guide Xiao Gu’s guests). We also heard the story of Bus 142 🚌📖. It reinforced my determination to see more of the world while I’m still healthy and young 💪✨. That night, we finally saw the aurora and got some stunning shots! Xiao Gu tirelessly took photos for us 🤳📸 — I really admire his patience, and it shows how much he genuinely loves his job (my friends who came along also gave unanimous praise 👍). That evening, our whole table was starving, and Xiao Gu even added two hearty dishes for us when he saw we didn’t have enough — moved me to tears 😭🍛. 🌟 On the fourth day, we soaked in the hot springs ♨️ and visited Santa Claus Village. We completely broke the ice with the girls in our van hhhh 🎅👭. We were lucky to meet a plump, white-bearded Santa who looked exactly like the one from my childhood posters! Loved it 😍🎄. The hotpot was pretty good too, and we celebrated a friend’s birthday there! 🍰🎂 🌟 Last day: we went dog sledding 🛷🐕 and visited a museum 🏛️ — then wrapped up. We ate at the highly-rated Thai restaurant Lemon Grass — the trip was so fulfilling I devoured a whole bowl of rice (came home a bit lighter 🍚😌). If I were to rate this trip, I’d say I’m happier now! My anxiety is slowly fading away 😌💖. I’ll keep traveling 🧳 because it’s truly healing ❤️‍🩹. #WinterTravelDestinationSuccess#ThisTigerBackBearWaistIsTurningIntoALightningBolt#AlaskaTravel#FairbanksGuide#WinterWonderlandDestination