Since last entry my journey took a more spiritual turn. No more sight seeing, no bars, I was tired of all that. Instead I started meditating and looking for quiet, serene places. While waiting for my Indian visa I spend a few days exploring Cameron Highlands, a picturesque Scottish-Malaysian haven 200km from Kuala-Lumpur. In two days I conquered two mountain peaks (higher 6666ft) and covered some 40km by foot. It was pleasantly cool and very beautiful, I was almost sorry to depart so soon for the flight.

My apetite for exotic places and adventure already satisfied, India had but one thing left to offer: spiritual enlightement. Most of these three weeks I've been sitting still under some tree or reading metaphysical books. A few things worth noticing I did see, thought.

Colcatta was the dirtiest and foul smelling city I have seen, an appropriate residing place of the fierce Kali, the goddess of death (and nature). In Her main temple 80-100 goats are sacrificed daily to the ever thirsty Mother. Bloody hell, I tell you!

Taj Mahal, the pearl of the ancient city Agra was a must-see of course. The city has unfortunately turned into a tourist-oriented hazzle nest of merchants and other scum, so I left right away, this time looking for Royal Enfield motorcycle. My search took me to New Delhi where I finally found a dealer, not so easily as one would think. The difference between purchasing a bicycle and an Enfield is twelve signatures, after which I could forget the whole thing and continue my interrupted meditations. Ok, here's the bike: http://www.royalenfield.com/product.asp?productsid=7&productslocation=india It'll arrive to Helsinki before summer.

Vrindavan is a small city in the shadow of Mathura, the home of Lord Krishna. In a very religious country this is the most religious retreat of Hare Krishna -devotees, and it shows. Everybody greets you with "Hare Krishna!", no alcohol or cigarrets, from dawn 'till midnight the ever audible chant for the Lord's glory.. However, my residence is fairly secluded, very nice and costs 1,25eur per night so I don't complain. I have a company of dozen monkeys and a few dozen parrots, plus the cows and pigs. My spiritual journey has come to a satisfactory point and I claim the mission completed. To those of you who understand the implication: I voluntarily ate a banana, smiling.

Coming home.

The title sums my last three weeks pretty well which is also the reason why I haven't been able/motivated to even touch a computer until now.

Sunday 15th Feb Matilda came and we spend three days exploring Bangkok, more and less voluntarily. First evening and night we roamed the cozy walking streets of Banglamphu, the old and most enjoyable part of the huge city. Next day was spend sightseeing the Grand Palace, Emerald Buddha, visited Hotel Watergate's outdoor waterpool at 20+ floor and finally took a city river boat to the wrong direction while trying to get back home. Returning to our home-hotel turned out to be quite an exhausting trip after which we decided not to use local buses or try get anywhere by walking thereafter. The traffic jams added to the infernal heat and poor air of the city can make a weaker man wonder where's the fun of it but we endured it all smiling as the locals do.

Except for the third day, the day of troubles, destined to be the Tuesday of dozen misfortunes, remembered and retold everafter to the generations to come.. Well ok, maybe it just felt that way at the moment after we had been shouted at by a travel agency clerk, turned down by a tuk-tuk driver, dissapointed at trainschedules, our orders forgotten in restaurants(two times), were denied swimming and our bus-the-hell-away-from-here was two hours late, among other little things. =)

But the Land of the Smiles won the day after all when we finally got on the road again, to the paradise island Ko Tao. The next four days went far too fast on that heavenly resort by mostly diving. Our little bungalow by the lovely little beach, the wonders of aquatic ecoscape, the idyllic Viewpoint restourant with it's cutely shy and curious staff smiling all the time, the sunsets.. Fifth and last day on the island saw us struggling against fate to not be cast away from the paradise, but the date printed on Matilda's return-flight ticket did not yield to our prayers and thus we returned back to Bangkok. Our ninth day was blessed with relaxed shopping, muay-thai evening and late night at the very comfortable bar Saxophone with live jazz music. Next day she left back to the cold dark North and her studies and I resumed my solo adventuring.

Picking the next train to somewhere south, as has become my habbit, took me to Hat Yai near the Malaysian border. I thought I could easily stand the Equatorial Sun by now but again I was played fool by that unforgiving fiery god of the sky. Burned again but happy I ventured on to a bit more isolated group of islands on the west coast, namely Ko Lipe where there was a diving resort and reputably 25% of the world's aquatic fauna. Fish, that is. Four more days (and a night) diving and living in an earthly paradise worshipping the Sun satisfied the gods and my apetite for leisure. The approaching last date of my Thai visa might also have a part of my decision to leave the country and move on..

Most facinating way to get to India would be to hop on a ship to Madras. I had met an english teacher some three weeks ago who had done just that from Georgetown on the northern Malaysia. So I travelled by boat and bus 12 hours to get there and come night found myself in a dark bar chatting casually with an old mafioso, his muslim friend acting as our translator. Nice fellows I guess.. Guards have shotguns around here and the old guy had promised I would be most safe in the Town so I didn't worry too much as I never do. I got back to my hotel Swiss well after midnight and so the gates to the compound were closed. I managed to sneak in and sleep a few hours before the morning call to pray Allah begun at six. So this was "the most fascinating city in Malaysia" as I had read somewhere. Maybe so but I wanted to get that ship sooner than later, only to find out at the port that no ships to India have taken passengers onboard for 20 years.. Next I learned that I needed a visa to India, which I could only get in Kuala Lumpur. As fate had it, here I am and not the slightest bit sorry about that turn of events!

Kuala Lumpur, the city of ultra modern sky scrapers beside huge exotic mosques, the mix of eastern and western cultures and religions shows everywhere. THIS is the most fascinating city I have ever been in. When the sun sets the fairy city's lights struck the travelling northerner dumb with awe. The twin Petronas Towers, highest building in the world, illuminates the magical wonderland of the songs and tales. Still, as stated before, I don't much like big cities and so intend to fly to northern India as soon as I get my visa. Took three hours of queuing and three photos to leave my application.. Lots threes in this entry, don't you think?

Ok, enough of this, now I'm to see some orangutans. (=apes, ug ug!)

I might find so remote a retreat in Kashmir that no internet connections are available.. At least I hope so!

Riding an elephant is easy, enjoyable and painfull (without saddle) experience. After a few leisurously slow and rainy days in the border town Mukdahan I went looking for elephants. There was reputably an elephant show every saturday morning near a city called Surin, so there I headed. After a day of traveling by train, bus and motorbike I finally found the place. But of course I got there out of the tourist season and thus, no elephant shows. Still, the beast master was kind enough to take me on a ride and that was really all I wanted anyway.

Next I started for the 'eighth miracle of the world', the ruins of Phanom Rung. Another train-bus-moped ride found me standing in the shadow of an ancient temple straight from some Indy-movie. Fortunately it had been raining all day, else the place would have been packed by tourists. Or so I told myself as I waited for a return bus in the rain, thoroughly soaked wet. Hot shower a few hours later and 'pat thai', my favorite noodle dish, turned me a broadly smiling man again.

Then the national park of Khao Yai was in order. It truly might have been my best two days since jumping into the Siberian train, so exalted I was by the jungle trekking, cliff climbing, wild animals sighting, waterfall swimming, getting lost and getting back again... I really got the chance to prove over an over again during my 20km adventure the so-true saying: When there's a will, there is a way! And there in the forest, sleeping in a tent, I happily turned 27 years old.

Bangkok was the anticlimax I needed to get back to the urban life and worries for accomondation. After six hours in a hot car the city of over nine million people plus unnumbered tourists was unpleasant enough an experience. Since now I had seen only empty or half empty hotells, so I was a bit dumbstruck to get the five "Sorry, full"s before finding a free room. Had to pay 13 euros, which felt like a robbery after getting used to the average of 6e! After one night I wanted out of the city, anywhere. Since I had to get back in three days, I couldn't go very far and was a bit tired of sitting in a bus a whole day. So after a bit of map reading Pattaya seemed to be a plaucible choise and I did want see if the world's most tourist infested beach town lived up to the (bad) reputation.

The city of fleshly pleasures it really turned out to be, not what I wanted but what I did expect. I managed to spend three quite enjoyable days here, the high moment being my last night's confrontation with the local muay thai champpion.. I didn't know who the guy was a he cheerfully asked me to spar with him a little for the enjoyment of all. I had seen him fight once, playing with his opponent like a cat with a mouse, so I did have a definte idea. But what the heck, why not! He wasn't intending to kill me or anything and I had had only one beer, so I agreed. To make it short, it was really fun and I lived to tell about it! =) Tough walking is a bit painfull now, I would gladly step in the ring another time, to feel again that adrenaline excitement. Will tell you all about it when I get back..

Tomorrow Matilda comes to Bangkok and next week we'll most likely go scuba diving in the southern islands.

How would anybody want to freeze in the dark North when you could easily come here!? Really. Well, be seeing you!

The new year's parties continued in Hanoi for two more days as the Vietnamese New Year appears to be a few days later than that of China. I was totally unprepared for the seemingly thousands of tourists roaming free at the streets, whoever let these people here anyway!? The busiest day of the year was followed by the slowest but then I was already enjoying the majestic views of Ha Long Bay on a two days boat trip. Words fail me here, but have a look at the picture to get an idea.. http://www.screensavershot.com/nature2/halong.jpg

Then southwards to Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. I met a nice austrian couple in their sixties at the train and not for the last time. We met at least five times, in two towns, purely by chance. The quiet and beautiful Hue was a pleasant contrast to the big cities I had mostly spent my time in. I rent a bike for one dollar and just rode around the whole day. For the first time in half a year, it got almost too hot for me. The locals were complaining about the cold weather of course, it is "winter" here after all. Food was good, people nice and everything felt great. For one day, before it get cloudy and chilly again. So southward I continued to Hoi An, famous of it's silk and sunny beach.

It took five hours to cross a mountain range and reach the town, only 200km south of Hue. But the mountains made the difference, here it was sunny and hot again. The owner of the bus happened to also own a fine two stars hotel in Hoi An and so we got an offer you can't refuse: four euros a night! Next day I hired a moped and rode the five km to the beach. As it still was the coldest time of the year, the beach was almost empty. That suited me all the better and after an hour I was already burned red by the merciless sun. Three days passed quickly on the beach and roaming the old town before I was forced to move on.

Nine days in Vietnam was really far too short a time, but as I have to be in Bangkok by 14.2. to meet Matilda there, I had no choise but to continue west, to Laos. I planned on staying one week in southern Laos before traveling on to Thailand but as you may have noticed, that was not to be. The trip to Savannakhet was quite tiresome as it took 27 hours and three busses to get there, including sleeping six hours in a poor guest house. The bordercrossing was quick and easy and the rest of the journey quite enjoyable. Laos looks much like an African savanna with primitive wooden huts and children running around naked playing with freely roaming animals. Unfortunately I got here during a wet season, I pondered when the third heavy rainfall hit us with thunder and lightning. Savannakhet turned out to be quiet old city by the Mekong river, which also serves as the Thai border. Night at guesthouse Leena (I had a lizard living in my bathroom) and in the morning to the bank to get some more cash as I had only ten dollars left. How stupid of me to assume that I could get money with creditcards from the second biggest city of Laos.. After two hours I was convinced that I had only one option left, to cross the border to the land of the ATMs. What followed was the easiest border crossing ever (was there a border?), friendliest people you could imagine and definitely the best food in the whole wide world! After five minutes I understood why Thailand is also called The Land of Smiles. So here I am and have no intentions to leave ever again. Well, at least for a month anyway.

Enjoy yourselves, at least I will! =)

The last days in Beijing I succeeded in navigating with the subway, saw the Pandas, visited Beer Street and got my Vietnamese Visa. After fourth visit to a student art gallery, I did buy a few taoist paintings, plus a pair of fine swords. They were so damn cheap (12eur & 17eur) I just couldn't resist! I'll propably get back to Finland before the shipment arrives.

The "warmth" of Beijing didn't satisfy me for long and so I finally departed for Shanghai after five days of prolonged stay. The biggest city of China was indeed quite impressive. After a day of walking around the cetral city I was ready to bed. Finding a cheap international hotel turned out to be damn hard but I did found one, Hotel Far East near the railway station, just when the New Year celebration and fireworks began. And it continued all through the night. And the next day. These people love their New Year! And the next. Only the hardcore "partied" the fourth day but some still did. Thru the whole affair the chinese celebrated very calmly, never did I see really drunk people.

But one day in Shanghai was enough, no more awsome huge cities for me! The buildings were magnificent, though. Next day saw me at Suzhou, the chinese Venice they call it and I could see why. Dozens of canals and many beautifull gardens made it worth the extra day and it wasn't too cold either (+7'C).

The relative warmness of Shanghai and Suzhou was also short lived, as I began to yearn for the Southern Sun! So a two more days of traveling by train through Liu Zhou and Nanning found me at Pingxian, a town near the Vietnamese border. Five hours and 200km rough riding on a bus to Pingxian taught me to appreciate trains a bit more.

This morning, after some walking I managed to find an operating ATM and got more yuans. It's sunday and new year's holiday, so I could't get any dollars or dongs which I would need after the border. Fortunately a chinese business man I traveled with yesterday noticed me standing on the street and took me with him. He didn't speak english but was also heading to Hanoi, so here I finally am. At border one officer apparently enjoyed sleeping more than working, so we just had to skip some of the formalities. We got here by an over-crowded minibus (1eur/100km), as is the custom. Most peculiar sight during the trip was a horse cart riding the other way, carrying a man and a four meter tree! After a while it really dawned to me: they were riding on a highway, to the wrong direction, cars driving 100km/h dodging the thing!

Ok, enough writing. Now to enjoy the Sun!! =)

-Took me two days to find an ATM, though I didn't need it then anymore. There are banks and exchange offices every 50 meters.

-No use asking where something is, you'll find it faster yourself by looking around than following the locals' "advice". Mongolian people totally can't read maps, be it a city or a country map. They couldn't even spot Ulan-Bator on a very simple map!

-30'C below zero.. Beijing's mild -5 really feels warm now!

-Crossing a road is playing with your life, which is to say, fun! They do have traffic lights, but often it is safer to try the cross on red lights, 'cause the traffic usually moves slower then.. As a bonus, the roads are covered by clear ice, they don't use any sand or salt here.

-Didn't find a hairbrush after three days of casual search.

And finally, a month since I became a homeless traveller, a Finnish style SAUNA!! The longest time ever that I went without that so precious weekly visit.

I actually got to ride a mongolian horse for two hours!! One of my long-time dreams has come true. Yes, it was a damn cold ride but surrounded by awsome mountains I didn't much notice if I was freezing to death..

A night out with locals, meaning beer and billiard, and I was ready to depart for China. Had to buy a first class train ticket or else wait three more days, so my traveling companions were hotel managers and such. A merry lot, besides! Only one spoke good english, but we had so good a time that the one who didn't speak any english at all wanted me to come to the same hotel he was going to stay in Peijing. The hotel was cheap allright (10+ euros!) but the guy was really beginning to get on my nerves..

So next morning I slipped away and one hours walk saw me at Tian' anmen (Square of Heavenly Peace or something) where I met my present Beijing guide, Xue Hong or Kelly. She tried to sell her student fellows' art, but ended up to show me chinese karaoke. I couldn't have get any tickets out of Peijing before the local new year (22?.1.) if not for her. "Anywhere south of here!" brought a night train tickets to Shangai on 20.1.

I´ve seen the forbidden city but more dumbstruck I was after my first visit to a real chinese restaurant all alone, just a few hours ago. I ordered a medium priced menu of roasted duck and rice. First I got the cooked rice with vegetables, a satisfyable meal by itself. Carefully I started eating slowly, expecting a lot of more food. Right after came a large poortion of ricenoodle soap and after that, the duck with side dishes.. When I was about halfway through it all and ready to explode the cook actually brought me a huge bowl of chicken soap! Had to take a picture of it all, you´ll see.

Okey guys, I'll tell you more about my Chinese adventures when I get to Vietnam. Or somewhere. And fast, I want the southern sun, now!! :-)

As you may already know, Siberia is a big, cold, often dark place where you wouldn't want to be sent. But traveling thru by train, now that's another story! Truthfully I expected that this part of the journey would certainly be painfully boring week but fortunately I was wrong (as usually..) And it didn't last but for four days and six nights.

Before getting to train I shaved my beard and I will henceforth take one close picture of my face every day, so we'll have the extraordinary priviledge of watching it grow back! =)

The first night wasn't that enjoyable as I couldn't sleep. Too hot, thirsty, wanted to pee, too small bed, too many things running in my head.. But after that tiresome experience it only got better, day by day. First day there was no scenery to speak of, just neverending forest of evergreens at close range. My room mates where three mongolian women aging something like 18, 28 and 38, I guess. They were somehow related, two sisters and a husbands' sister or.. Since one of them spoke elementary school grade english and rest none at all, we didn't really converse that much. Mongolian language turned out to be impossible to pronounce without a bad cough! or so it sounded like to me. I tried to rest and read a little and that felt actually quite nice, doing nothing.

Second day dawned with a nice weather and better views. Naked forests and snowy hills with some small towns or villages. The houses through the Siberia were all small, quite ugly and in a bad shape or total ruins. Sometimes you just couldn't tell if a village had been deserted for a hundred years or if some poor community really tried to live there. The restorant vagon was satisfactory, though I couldn't tell the difference between beef and pork..

It turned out that a group of some 200 mongolian traders had invaded the train selling mainly clothes at every station. For two days I believed to be the only non-mongolian trader -person on the vehicle.

Third day the scenery got even better and an english-speaking mongolian woman found me, wanting to test her linguistical skills in a "real conversation". First annoying, she turned out to be the only trustworthy mongol onboard and was wery helpfull later. The whole lot of the traders were smuglers and cheaters at best, as I came to realize. After some unsuccesfull attempts to cheat and use me I actually got outwitted while changing some rubles to tukrigs(or whatever..). Lost a few euros, so not a big deal but learned my lesson.

Fourth day the views got awsome, snowy mountains and two huge lakes, with varying flora and fauna. I spend five or six hours just watching the beautiful vista. We arrived at the border of Mongolia at evening, the hazzle took over five hours, and I spend the few remaining hours of the night reading before arriving early this mornig to Ulan-Bator. The nice girl gave me a ride to a three stars Hotel Mika, at a few minutes walk to the center and costing only 30euros/night! So here I am, quite tired but happy. Even Siberia was not this damn cold but I'll survive.

Nobody seemed to know about this internetcave but I managed to find it on my own. Ulan-Bator's central area is quite small to my surprise. Now to the nearby Korean restaurant and then to bed. Funny, almost no cash-automats here, I heard from a bank that there ought to be one somewhere.. Farewell again! I'll write next from China.

Yesterday was indeed the day of troubles. At first we missed comrade Lenin (no cameras allowed and we didn't have time to dumb our cameras anywhere and get back, it closes at 13:00), then we spend two hours trying to find somebody willing to sell me tickets to Mongolia and at finally last I missed my train! I was there on time (1min before the train left! =) but the good stuarts told me to go to the next wagon and the next and.. It started moving! We banged at the right door but the she-devil wouldn't open. Bergie actually managed to fell under the platform.. but luckily didn't get hurt.

After that funny little exciting incident Bergie got his train to Helsinki and I was left standing there alone. I took a cab. I couldn't find my wallet. I paniced a little bit. Relaxed again, I still have my moneybelt. Got to the hotel. Found my wallet! Of course it was in the 'secret' pocket I forgot I have.

This morning didn't start very nicely either when I found that the ticket office is closed. 7.1. is a Russian Christmas or something.. Hooray. After yet another two hour of adventuring I finally managed to get new tickets. And NOBODY here can speak ANY english. Nice. Except the Hotel Rossija's reception staff.

The Hotel Rossija.. now there's another HUGE building you just have to see and preferably walk around a few times to understand the massives of the thing! Over a kilometer to walk around, we managed to make the trip some three, four times while searching this and that. But or because of the vastness of the hotel, it was actually very cheap. 30eur a night is not bad with the view to the Red Square..

Vice versa, the first orange juices we ordered when we got to Moscow cost as much as a ticket from St.Petersburg to here! (15eur or so) So we learned to ask the price first before buying anything. Skolka rubli? I'm beginning to get some of the tongue but tomorrow again new language, new tricks..

Next stop Ulan-Bator, I'll try to write something from there!

Relaxing week in Austria was a truly adequate preparation for the longer trip. St.Petersburg is really a huge Helsinki with lots of garbage on the streets and even more beautiful buildings.

Next we'll have our last supper with the girls (Svetlana and Veronica) and yet another farewells. Two days ago was the official crying day when Annika, Matilda and Skoll left us to return Helsinki. I think the girls won't let us go at all.. Perhaps if we manage to drink the girls sufficiently, we might get to the train.

Next entry from Moscow, see ya!