The timeless travels

It's one o'clock in the night at the Istanbul airport. The day before Christmas has just started. I take a cup of Chai tea from the counter and walk across the lounge to sit down to a leather chair just socks on my tired feet. I take a zip of my tea and check my phone. It's charging from a battery bank. Laying on my homework pile I took with me to the hand luggage. 

My mom is sitting on the chair next to me, sleeping. My brother next to her, finishing his final projects for school on the computer and bouncing his head to the beat of music in his headphones. Dad is scrolling through his phone with a banana on his other hand. 

It's quiet. The only ones keeping any kind of noise are those who are leaving to continue their journey or stopping to sit down for a moment. Others are resting their eyes on the couches. Or drinking coffee to stay up 'til their planes leave. Ours will depart at 2:40. To land on the Jakarta airport 6 o'clock in the evening. Few hours before Arno does. He is now flying somewhere in between of Moskow and Hongkong. Left earlier than we did. I kissed him goodbyes on the train before he jumped off to switch to an airport transit. I stayed. Went to work. And from there straight to the airport. 

I stand up and walk to the other end of the room. To the massive glass walls that open the view down to the hall were people pass by scrolling luggage or looking into the tax free shops. It's so busy. Just by looking down you could never guess what time of the day it is. People are up. Talking on phones, shopping, holding hands. Few gown wearing Muslims are reading the flight schedule. That's one of the only things that gives you the sense of time. Time passing. Otherwise it is so timeless. Airports usually are. There's always someone. People travelling through day and night. Shops open no matter how late it is - you ca always purchase a perfume.

Words of my colleague cross my mind. "Why do you think you became so international?" 

Looking down to the moving crowd below me clears it a little. I like my world a little bigger and more interesting. I like the wide view, not just the northern perspective. I don't just think outside the box, I get outside of it not to feel trapped somewhere that doesn't fit me. I like life that gives me both lemons and coconuts. Takes me out in the middle of the night and teaches me new thing every day - off school and office and shows me what it is really like to see differently. I was't meant to live on one place, I think there is so much beyond the boarders. I love to lose the track of time, to dive into the timelessness or to wander in time and space. 

I take another zip of my spicy tea and get back to my chair. My mom wakes up. She looks at the clocks ticking on the wall. She shakes her head, asks why the time is going so slow and picks up a book. I shrug my shoulders. 

Maybe it is all about slowing our time? Maybe it feels like we lived longer if we did more and saw wider? Or maybe I just enjoy the tick of a different time zone?

Either way. It is my favorite way to spend time.

Travel hugs,
Linnea

Fearless or just brave?

The room fills up with people. Most of them around my age, some older than me. Students. From different countries. Giggling and talking to each other. And I am the only one sitting down. Trying to look like I am doing something important scrolling through my phone, when in fact I am looking around to all those people. My hands are shaking. My stomach twists. I stand up, walk out of the hall, behind the corner and start to run away. 

I am a writer. I have been talking publicly so many times. performed for thousands of people, had media interviews since early age, amazing job opportunities... I have survived sicknesses, faced death many times. I have moved around, been alone and traveled the world... And if I would get a dollar every time someone calls me fearless, I would probably be able to travel to all the 10 countries we just wrote about in our last post. That's how much I hear it. Not bragging here - believe it or not - I don't always find it that positive, even though it is meant to be a nice complement. But it definitely is not true. I am not fearless. I am far from being fearless. I get scared. I have been scared so many times. I have feared through it all.

"Oh, I think it is so fearless to travel alone all the way to Africa! I mean it is super dangerous right!? Are you not scared to walk around?" 

"Wow! You have published three books? Nobody dears to do that in your age!" 

"Oh you just don't fear to jump into a plane and move to another country just like that!" 

"But where you not scared of dying when you got the seizures from dengue fever? That's why I don't dear to go outside Europe!" 

Yeah.. I kind of get where they are coming from. It seems definitely fearless. But the coin has its flip side. Maybe I have not been scared of dying, or putting my books out there. Maybe walking around the poor suburbs in Africa or Asia in the middle of the night or switching planes on foreign airports doesn't scare me. But I am scared of other things. I think there is noting as stressful as driving around with a Helsinki city bus - or the other buses that take you from Helsinki to another city in Finland. I mean, what comes to planes, you usually don't step into a wrong one accidentally or get off too early/late. But stepping out on a wrong bus stop makes my hands shake like craaaazy. So I rather travel with three different planes than two different buses.. And maybe I am not scared of talking in a TV interview but oh if you take me in front of my class.. I will be red and can't get a word out of my mouth. Maybe I didn't seem to be scared to move to Africa or America, but I for sure was scared to come back. Or to let everyone else stay. And yet today I am scared that I will never fit in again as everyone has continued living when I was gone. Maybe I didn't fear the dark suburbs in Zimbabwe or Cambodia, but I for sure can start crying if I missed a turn on a dark highway in Finland. And I am not scared of dengue fever or other illnesses I may catch outside Europe. But oh boy did I cry when they pulled out my wisdom tooth... So it's not that simple.

I would much rather just be brave. Fearless doesn't fit me. It doesn't leave room for fear. Brave - on the other hand - means that you overcome your fears and doubts.

Change is inevitable. The only thing that is sure is that nothing is sure. You know there are those moments in your life when you have to turn the page. One chapter ends and another one begins. There is no going back. No reversing. Nothing will be the same ever again. And then there are days when you finish one book. And start a another one. That's when you totally let go of knowing what will happen next. You have absolutely no idea, all your plans and scenarios can be trashed in seconds.

On Tuesday I kissed my army-green boyfriend a goodbye for the last time. I will probably (hopefully) never see him again in those clothes. I will never visit him on the navy base. I kissed him and told that he is very brave - with 165 days behind him he is braver than I ever thought he would be. And then I drove through the dark base and watched the gates to close behind me for the last time now. Because tomorrow - or in 12 hours. At 1:30 pm he will be released from the service of the Finnish army. A chapter in our lives will be over. And a week after that we will be in a plane to Indonesia. And two weeks after coming back from our trip my job contract is supposed to end. And after that? I don't know. I couldn't know. We made plans about travelling for a few months but with all the school applications and my medical treatments it may not be possible. We were planing on moving to a another city. But that won't be happening if we don't get into our schools. And I mean, anything can happen. So no, I can't plan for more than a couple of weeks. It's a whole new book coming up.

What I know is that my boyfriend will be finally home. We will come back to a same address every night for a few months now. I moved out of my apartment and he from his house. One chapter has ended. And maybe that's "stupid" to move so quickly, or so I have heard (since we haven't dated for a year yet and known for only a little over a year). And I am not fearless. I am scared. But being scared is not a sign of failure or a sign of weakness. It's being human.

I stood up on that scene in that seminar crowded with the students. I stood there my hands shaking, my cheeks all red and my voice breaking as I tried to speak. I looked down and wished I was one of the students trying to learn about working in a media house, not standing up there and trying to mumble about my experiences and my job - how to be fearless and succeed. And the only question or word I could come up with was "wazzup?" I think latest in that point everyone saw that I was terrified. Not that I wouldn't have talked to many many more people in many meetings before, but standing in front of those students I thought they would hate me. But I got smiles and answers. "AWESOME!" the crowd answered. They backed my up. They saw I wasn't fearless, I was scared. I was human. But I kept standing there, talking. And slowly it became easier. The crowd had fun and plenty people came afterwards to tell me I was very brave to do that! Oh, how good did that feel!

So no, I am not fearlessly just making all the big changes, finishing books and changing my story. Because change is always scary. But we can either run from it or stand there, shaky and terrified. Doing things that scare us, being brave the best we can and learn from it. At least for each other. And I know it won't be easy. It will be scary. But I will be brave for us.

Welcome home sweetheart!

- Linnea

Next Stop & Top 10

Linnea & Arno: We have been asked a while ago to make a list of 10 places we would like to travel. And now we got it going. Yet we realized that it was a little hard due the fact that we have been in so many places. So this should not be taken as a recommendation list. We would absolutely recommend places like Victoria Falls and China, but we have both been there so this is a list of places we would go now if we won the lottery or so. Other reason why it's so hard is that world is so full of awesome places that 10 just wasn't enough! But enjoy! We will also tell you where we are heading in two weeks!

North Korea

Traveling to North Korea is a rather interesting yet controversial idea. Going there is probably an amazing experience but at the same time you're sponsoring the government financially that does all these violations again human rights. I guess it intrigues travelers mainly due to it's unique status. There is no other country that is so isolated and still living in the past like North Korea. Infrastructure is crumbling, except for the capital Pyongyang which they try to still keep up as an example of North Korean wealth and the elite lives there. It would be rather interesting also to visit the smaller cities and towns with their worn down infrastructure and old industrial factories which stopped running in the 90's. The downside about traveling to North Korea is the price and lack of real traveling. You need to book your trip as a package and you are allowed only to see the places they want you to see. Still a place worth to visit because of it's uniqueness in the world.

- Arno

Japan

My parents met in Japaneese class. I exsist due that class. And a few years after I started excisting I "read" childrens' books in Japaneese - or invent the stories because I can't read Japaneese. I lived the culture because of my mom and dad. I ate the food, learned to use chopsticks like before learning to read (still can't believe I have friends who can't use them) And ever since I wanted to go. And then my parents and brother went when I was living in Africa. And mom and dad went again... (at least I got a big stuffed pirate seal - Sirotan) So I am here, still dreaming. We planed on going with Arno this summer but instead we pushed that for later times (richer times). But I mean, who wouldn't want to see the country of toilet restaurants, weird pipe hotels, Hello Kitties and all the other things ever imagined..? Also hiking the Fuji mountain interests me! The Japaneese friends I've had are the kindest and always have the sweetest laugh, so yeah, I wouldn't mind having more Japaneese friends. And collecting more stuffed seals. And of course seeing all the miracles, cities, cherry flovers, colors, buildings, nature on the rural areas, the culture up close... and did I mention the food. OH SUSHI! No more explanations needed. Sushi. We love sushi. 

- Linnea

Cuba 

I think Cuba is one of the most interesting countries to visit at the moment. Especially before the world around it changes the country too much. It's been very isolated from western influences and has kept its originality well even when the countries around it have changed. This might change quickly since the newborn relations with the US attract a lot of Americans to visit Cuba. So the time to go is NOW!

I've seen a lot of pictures and watched some clips about the country and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Some people I've met traveling have told me that Cuba is their all time favorite place in the world due to it's authenticity, beauty and amazingly hospitable people. The place is also not (yet) ruined with mass tourism like a lot of countries are.  Isn't that exactly what you want from your travels? At least I do.  There is so much beauty to discover there like the capital Havana with all its colorful buildings and old cars, the untouched nature with all its sandy beaches, green hills and rainforests. I guess there is also a lot that is undiscovered and that's the main reason to go there. Discover it before somebody else does!

- Arno

Chile

One word: Lamas. Another one: Mountains. Yep. Always wanted to go to South America. Chile calls my name because of the nature and its' beauty - and the Easter Islands. Would probably go snowboarding! What attracts me is also that Chile is yet so unpopular among tourists. Not yet a major attraction and overly crowded! Have to also mention the colors and the people who really seem super special. Totaly different than anywhere else. Also, backbagging around South America would not be only a beach-this-drinks-that kind of a holiday people tend to take too ofter (no offences) due places like Chile. I looooove trecking and hiking. And snowboarding. And exploring in new places. And spending time in surrounding where I can't find Finnish karaoke bars and swearing scandinavian tourists next door (again, no offence, everyone does those turist trips sometimes - me included).

- Linnea

New Zeland

I've always wanted to go to New Zealand (and so has Linnea!), and I'm a bit bummed I didn't have the time to go when I visited Australia a few years ago. NZ is a country you really want to visit with time so there was no point just rushing through it. I've met sooo many people that have been there and never heard a bad word about it, so a definite place to go! Most even say that they preferred it over Australia so it just gets me even more excited about it. There are many sports I'd like to do there like bungee jumping, canyon swings and of course skiing. Hopefully in the future when we have the time (and money) we could do a long combined trip to Australia and New Zealand!

- Arno

Australia 

Arno is a lucky guy to have been there. Australia was on my list when I was about to return from Africa. But then America happened. And when I came back I met that dude who couldn't stop talking about Australia and showing me cute pictures of cute wallabes and stuff. So yeah.. I have to get there. Long time dream of surfing, exploring the nature (Urulu, beaches, forests), culuture, eating food, seeing the special animals and so on... I also find the people very nice, have met many Australian people and they are so sweet, and they have even sweeter accent. And the way of life interests me. We have planed it so far that we might some day want to move there. At least to do the "working holiday" together. Which would probably be a bad thing. Because I would never come back to this dark and cold place (love you Finland) since I would be able to skateboard everywhere.

- Linnea

Iran

Many might find Iran a bit special on our list but it surely is a place of intrest! I guess not the top destination for many but that's one of the things that makes it even more interesting. Iran has been a very closed country for a long time but at least as a EU citizen nowadays you can go without a visa for two weeks so it's relatively easy to go.

I once read this nice traveling book, the Black Tourist by Dom Joly (recommend it!) in which the guy traveled to not so popular regions eg. North Korea, Iran and others. I guess this book got me even more excited about going there, he said it's amazing over there with incredibly nice and hospitable people, maybe not the first impression you would get. Anyhow most of our expectations are based on prejudice given to us by politics. Also another great reason to travel there and break these prejudices. Iran is interesting with its own Persian culture that differs from the Arabic one and it's beautiful landscape. You would think there is nothing else but desert (there is still a lot) but I've seen some amazing pictures from the green fertile mountain regions in the Northern parts of the country. So a definite top 10 place to visit!

- Arno

Papua New Guinea

My favorite book Jungle Child by Sabine Kuegler (s-u-p-e-r good book, read it!!) tells a story of a tribe that lives in the jungle in Papua New Guinea. That book kind of explains all the nature, culture and reasons why I wanna go. Of course I happen to know that PNG is also one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Yet I am so interested in the cultures and how such social classes have formed and why things there are like they are. I have to also underline my love towards photography and writing, investing things and talk about a country not yet so popular among travellers. Also I am a sucker for jungles. My soul just rests, that's where the nature is so much bigger than any human.

- Linnea

Marocco

Morocco is one of the countries we definitely want to visit. And I would guess in the next few years we probably might go (at least want to!). It's not too far from Finland and a relatively cheap destination so a must visit. I've met a lot of travelers that have visited Morocco and all of them fell in love with the place, many of them claiming it as their favorite destination in Europe (technically it's not Europe but you know what I mean). Apparently it's nicer when you stay out of the touristy cities eg. Casablanca, Marrakech and head out to the smaller cities on the coast and inlands. Of course it's everybodys decision where to head but I prefer the less touristy regions, you usually get cheaper prices and more hospitable people. I especially want to see the beautiful infrastructure, old cities that blend in the desert and it's mountainous regions inlands. The food and handcraft culture is apparently amazing, I've sometimes cooked some Moroccan food dishes and the flavors are just incredible.

- Arno

Tanzania 

So if you somehow managed to jump over the fact that I love nature and tracking and hiking and mountains etc. here we go all over the fact again: I have grown up with multiple cultures surrounding me all the time. I am a Africa(n) girl, I count myself as one. I've grown up having two African siblings and this major society that takes care of 400 orphans. So I have grown up in different continent and surroundings than my two "siblings" but I have eaten sadza (corn "porridge"), played with toys made out of cans Oili and Seppo brought from Zimbabwe, I have been in meetings, met people and grown up being all Africa this and Africa that. And when I finally got there after the colera had gone down, I felt like home. I felt I found a missing piece of myself. And that's why I came back. And stayed. And came back again. I have friends, I love the food, I eat with hands without a problem, I do morning walks with lions and ride elephants. That's me feeling whole, that's the little part of Africa that came in when I was lifted over the fence to eat pancakes (read the story here). And that part never left me. Just grew bigger. And came more hungry - not towards pancakes but travelling. And I want to see more Africa than just Zimbabwe. I want to go further. I want to hike Kilimanjaro, always have. Oili and Seppo have done it and we were talking about doing it with Oili when I lived in Zim but then the time just ran out (it's a 5 day hike). But I will do it some time. And I will explore further than just Zimbabwe. I will go to Tanzania (for longer than my stop-overs).

- Linnea

Where to next?

Linnea: And finally. The million dollar question we've been holding for way too long.

So me, Arno, mom, dad and my brother Luukas started to talk about Christmas plans early this year but that never helps, we always just rush into decisions anyway - that's who we are. We started to go over the options we had and to think destinations. We had plans and ideas and stuff. And some minor details like "will I get off from school", "on which day will dad be able to leave work" and "is Arno gonna be in the army for 6 months or a whole year". And we definitely did not have the answer when my mom called me up one night on August at 10 pm when we had just gotten back from a nice dinner with Arno. 

Mom basically goes like "Hi! How's it going? Do you guys wanna go to Indonesia for Christmas?". I asked Arno if we were still having Indonesia as our first choice as we had talked for a long time. He nodded. So I told her that we were still wishing to go there. And my mom goes: "Good, we are booking tickets now. Get me yours and Arno's passport info".

Arno: So yeah we are going to Indonesia! Linnea and her family (mom, dad, brother) are flying on a separate flight than I am. We fly out on the same day though I just arrive a few hours later. I fly separately because I use my dads tickets he gets through his job (I get to fly a bit cheaper). Our first stop is going to be Jakarta, none of us have ever been there before so a new destination for all of us. Excited! I can't wait to finally hop on that plane and head out of Finland for a while. It's been a rough 6 months for both of us with my military service, Linneas several new jobs and us moving in together, so we can both use a well deserved break.

We're gonna spend four nights in Jakarta first before heading off to Bali. I don't really know what to expect from Jakarta since I've never been there, never heard anyone go there and never read travel stories about it. Sometimes it's better this way to just go out and explore without knowing too much ahead, ask the locals and find out the places by your own. One thing I know is that we are going to spend Christmas there! I have no idea what we are going to do for Christmas Eve, I guess nobody knows either but in a few weeks we will find out! I love Asian cities because of all the hustle and bustle going on, the cities never sleep. Also street food is the best (and cheap), I could eat at almost every stand because of the amazing smell and looks of the food.

Linnea: Then we will arrive to Bali. There we will spend a night in Denpasar (the place every tourist goes) and after that we have booked villas around the island. One close to the beach and one in Ubud - the monkey forest! And we will meet Arno's dad and Arno's dad's friend - who borrows his house to us now that he's in Asia! We will go around temples, jungles, swim, surf, relax, explore, eat well, celebrate New Years and so on.. And that's not it even. We will be visiting some other islands than just Bali! Cannot wait!

We will keep you posted for sure!

Hugs: 

Linnea & Arno

PS. LOOK AT THIS CUTE WALLABEE ARNO TOOK A PICTURE OF IN AUSTRALIA! LOOK AT HIM! HE IS THE REASON I WANT TO GO TO AUSTRALIA!!