Six months of being away from Finland is now done, until the next time. One thing is for sure though, next time I think I'll take Matti with me. I still need to work on my Chinese a lot, so that I can some day speak it fluently. But my dormitory days are done for good. Five months was enough and I do like my own bathroom and sauna, not to mention my kitchen. I haven't done a lot of cooking yet, partly because last weekend was spent in Ankkarock and my stomach is still getting use to Finland.
Coming back to Finland has been interesting. I'm slowly starting to get used to the fact that I can again understand ads etc on the streets and I can understand everything that people are talking around me. During my first week back in Finland, I've seen Linkin Park and Metallica in Sonisphere festival in Pori, I went blueberry picking (and baked a pie and muffins from the berries), I went to Ankkarock and even went to a karaoke bar in Korso! Quite a return back home :)
I've almost put all my stuff back in their place, but there's still something left. I managed to finish writing all my blog updates around Wednesday last week. The reason they were so late, was that I wasn't able to open my laptop in Tibet, because of the high altitude (the laptop might have exploded). So, I had to finish writing my blog updates in Finland. But it was quite nice lying in the hammock and writing my updates :) The thing that took the longest though, was going through my 500 and so pictures, picking the best ones and doing some small fixes. But now everything is done and the pictures are online, and so is the blog.
Now it's time to get back to normal, find a job, write my thesis and graduate. Maybe I'll start with cleaning the rest of my stuff from the living room floor and washing the last laundry. While I'm waiting for my Chinese books to arrive to Finland, I think I'll get my pictures printed and put them in an album.
再见！
August 03, 2009
23.07.09 Fatehpur Sikri
In the morning we went to Fatehpur Sikri, which is an abandoned city near Agra. The city was build as the capital by one of the Mughal Emperors. However, it only functioned as the capital for 14 years and then it was abandoned for one reason or another. It was very interesting to walk around the palace, that is left of the city.
Fatehpur Sikri
After Fatehpur Sikri, it was time to start traveling back to Delhi again. This time we didn't have to stand that much in traffic, but some of course. After getting back to the hotel, we went souvenir shopping near the hotel. There were a lot of shops near the hotel and we were walking around the street, trying to look at the things they were selling there. The only problem was that sometimes it was quite annoying to try to walk around in peace, when there are about 10 men staring at you and your white skin and red hair...
Fatehpur Sikri
Anyways, next time I go to India, I'll cover myself from head to toe. And I did get some shopping done also. So, there will be some small souvenirs coming to Finland. After shopping, we had dinner at the hotel and got all our stuff ready for tomorrow. We'll leave for the airport tomorrow at 5am and a little before 2pm, Finnish time, I'll see my dearest again, and Finland :)
The travelers
Fatehpur SikriAfter Fatehpur Sikri, it was time to start traveling back to Delhi again. This time we didn't have to stand that much in traffic, but some of course. After getting back to the hotel, we went souvenir shopping near the hotel. There were a lot of shops near the hotel and we were walking around the street, trying to look at the things they were selling there. The only problem was that sometimes it was quite annoying to try to walk around in peace, when there are about 10 men staring at you and your white skin and red hair...
Fatehpur SikriAnyways, next time I go to India, I'll cover myself from head to toe. And I did get some shopping done also. So, there will be some small souvenirs coming to Finland. After shopping, we had dinner at the hotel and got all our stuff ready for tomorrow. We'll leave for the airport tomorrow at 5am and a little before 2pm, Finnish time, I'll see my dearest again, and Finland :)
The travelers
22.07.09 Agra
We left towards Agra early in the morning and got stuck in traffic in Delhi and in a city outside of Delhi. After about four to five hours in the car, we finally reached Agra and the hotel there. After settling into the hotel, we started our tour in Agra. We visited the Agra Fort, which is said to be the most important fort in India. After that it was time for the Taj Mahal.
The Agra Fort
The Taj Mahal was beautiful and it's quite impressive how people were able to build all that with the tools they had then. Also, all the work, workers and time that was put into the building is unbelievable. And imagine, that all that work was done for the Mughal Emperor's wife, because originally the building was meant for the Mughal Emperor's beloved wife, but also the Emperor was later buried there.
Taj Mahal
After the Taj Mahal, we were more than ready to go into the hotel and get a break from all the beggars asking for money and people (including our guide) trying to sell us things we really don't want. Either we're starting to get tired from all the traveling, or then the "buy, buy, buy" and "give, give, give" is just even more persistent in India. But we did see few elephants at the street today with all the water buffaloes and cows, which was kinda cool :)
The mosque next to Taj Mahal
The Agra FortThe Taj Mahal was beautiful and it's quite impressive how people were able to build all that with the tools they had then. Also, all the work, workers and time that was put into the building is unbelievable. And imagine, that all that work was done for the Mughal Emperor's wife, because originally the building was meant for the Mughal Emperor's beloved wife, but also the Emperor was later buried there.
Taj MahalAfter the Taj Mahal, we were more than ready to go into the hotel and get a break from all the beggars asking for money and people (including our guide) trying to sell us things we really don't want. Either we're starting to get tired from all the traveling, or then the "buy, buy, buy" and "give, give, give" is just even more persistent in India. But we did see few elephants at the street today with all the water buffaloes and cows, which was kinda cool :)
The mosque next to Taj Mahal
21.07.09 City tour in Delhi
Today it was time to tour around Delhi. We started from the Red Fort with our guide, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, again :). From there we took rickshaws to the Jama Masjid Mosque, which is the biggest mosque in India. There all foreign women (despite how they were dressed) were given a big dress to cover everything, except the head. I got a pink one with white flower pattern.
The Red Fort
Then it was time to visit the Raj Ghat, or more specifically the Mahatma Gandhi memorial. The memorial is the platform where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated after he was assassinated. We continued the day with lunch and Humayun's Tomb. The tomb was build for a Mughal Emperor by his wife, and is a little like mini-Taj-Mahal. After that we saw the world's tallest brick minaret (a tower), the Qutub Minar and drove through India's parliament area.
Humayun's Tomb
The parliament area is around the Rajpath (King's way, in other words, a big and long boulevard) which has taken a lot of influence from Washington D.C., London, Paris... Around there you can see the President's house, circular Parliament house, ministries and the India Gate (kind of like the Arc de Triumph in Paris).
Qutub Minar
After all the touring it was time to get some rest, so we went back to the hotel, took a rest, walked around a little later and got ready for the next day.
The Red FortThen it was time to visit the Raj Ghat, or more specifically the Mahatma Gandhi memorial. The memorial is the platform where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated after he was assassinated. We continued the day with lunch and Humayun's Tomb. The tomb was build for a Mughal Emperor by his wife, and is a little like mini-Taj-Mahal. After that we saw the world's tallest brick minaret (a tower), the Qutub Minar and drove through India's parliament area.
Humayun's TombThe parliament area is around the Rajpath (King's way, in other words, a big and long boulevard) which has taken a lot of influence from Washington D.C., London, Paris... Around there you can see the President's house, circular Parliament house, ministries and the India Gate (kind of like the Arc de Triumph in Paris).
Qutub MinarAfter all the touring it was time to get some rest, so we went back to the hotel, took a rest, walked around a little later and got ready for the next day.
20.07.09 Leaving Nepal
In the morning we went shopping for some souvenirs near the hotel, and at noon it was time to start moving towards the airport. The airport was a mess. I've never seen anything like that. Can't believe I'm actually saying this, but the airport was more lost in what it should do, than a Chinese tourist group. When we came to the airport, we had to put our stuff through an X-ray machine. After we had checked in, it was time to go and wait in the customs line. After that the security check, where they first x-rayed the bags and then checked them by hand. The strangest thing was that the person looking at the x-ray machine's screen didn't have any contact with the people checking the bags by hand....
Well, unlike any other airport I've ever been to, the only shops were between the customs and security check. And we realized that after we had gone through the security check and ended up in a small hall filled with people waiting for their flights. Despite the fact that everyone had been security checked, everyone was checked again at the airport before going into the airplane.
After being about on hour late, the plane finally took us to Delhi, India, where everything went much more smoothly. We were picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel, where we had a three person room, with a shower with cold water. It was starting to be quite late already, so we just had dinner at the hotel and went to sleep.
Well, unlike any other airport I've ever been to, the only shops were between the customs and security check. And we realized that after we had gone through the security check and ended up in a small hall filled with people waiting for their flights. Despite the fact that everyone had been security checked, everyone was checked again at the airport before going into the airplane.
After being about on hour late, the plane finally took us to Delhi, India, where everything went much more smoothly. We were picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel, where we had a three person room, with a shower with cold water. It was starting to be quite late already, so we just had dinner at the hotel and went to sleep.
19.07.09 Touring Kathmandu
In the morning we met our tour guide for the day and started our tour from the Pashupatinath Hindu temple. Non-Hindus are not allowed to go into Hindu temples, so non-Hindus are allowed to see the temple from the other side of the river that flows next to the temple on one side. On the side where foreigners were allowed, were the cremation platforms and we actually saw a cremation ceremony when we were there. Quite special.
Pashupatinath temple
From Pashupatinath, we went to a Buddhist Stupa, called Boudhanath. It is one of the largest in the world and like Pashupatinath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the stupa we went to Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple, due to the holy monkeys living there. The temple is on top of a hill (lots of stairs!) and you can see Kathmandu very nicely from there. There are also the statues of the five different Buddhas there, as we learned. Due to this trip, I think I might be starting to understand something about Buddhism, but it's still very confusing with all the different Buddhas and everything.
Boudhanath
I was starting to get hungry from all the sightseeing, so it was time to go to the last place of the day, the Durbar Square (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and have lunch there. After lunch, we walked around the Square which is filled with all different kinds of small temples. In the end we went to see the living goddess, Kumari, who appears at her window for few seconds twice every day. The Kumari is a young girl who is chosen by a special family from certain families, and she lives in a house in Durbar Square until she reaches puberty. After that a new Kumari is chosen and the old one can do what she wants. The Kumari can not leave her house, but her family can come and visit her.
Kumari's house
After the sightseeing, we went to buy some CDs and have tea with our guide. I had agreed to go shopping with a friend from our tour group, so our guide drove me to my friends hostel with his motorcycle. I met her there and we agreed to meet at my hotel in half an hour. Then back on the bike, get my parents and then to the hotel. We managed to do a little shopping and then it was time for dinner with some more people from our tour group.
Pashupatinath templeFrom Pashupatinath, we went to a Buddhist Stupa, called Boudhanath. It is one of the largest in the world and like Pashupatinath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After the stupa we went to Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple, due to the holy monkeys living there. The temple is on top of a hill (lots of stairs!) and you can see Kathmandu very nicely from there. There are also the statues of the five different Buddhas there, as we learned. Due to this trip, I think I might be starting to understand something about Buddhism, but it's still very confusing with all the different Buddhas and everything.
BoudhanathI was starting to get hungry from all the sightseeing, so it was time to go to the last place of the day, the Durbar Square (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and have lunch there. After lunch, we walked around the Square which is filled with all different kinds of small temples. In the end we went to see the living goddess, Kumari, who appears at her window for few seconds twice every day. The Kumari is a young girl who is chosen by a special family from certain families, and she lives in a house in Durbar Square until she reaches puberty. After that a new Kumari is chosen and the old one can do what she wants. The Kumari can not leave her house, but her family can come and visit her.
Kumari's houseAfter the sightseeing, we went to buy some CDs and have tea with our guide. I had agreed to go shopping with a friend from our tour group, so our guide drove me to my friends hostel with his motorcycle. I met her there and we agreed to meet at my hotel in half an hour. Then back on the bike, get my parents and then to the hotel. We managed to do a little shopping and then it was time for dinner with some more people from our tour group.
18.07.09 Arriving to Kathmandu, Nepal
We drove in the dark and reached the last town on the Tibetan side when the sun was starting to come out. After breakfast, we went to the boarder and crossed it. On the Nepali side, we got on a bus and traveled through a very scary road to Kathmandu. The road went on the side of the mountain and there was a river on the bottom. Sometimes the bus was right on the edge of the road and the road was not very good. Not a good road for a bus, especially with water running across the dirt road and making it muddy and even scarier.
View of Kathmandu
Somehow we survived though and reached Kathmandu in one piece. There it was time, for most of us from our tour group, to go on our own ways, meaning different hotels. Fortunately, the travel agency had arranged a Nepali dinner for all of us. The dinner was very nice and very fancy. The waiters brought everything to your plate and we only had to sit on our seats and eat. :)
Waterfall in the Kathmandu Valley
View of KathmanduSomehow we survived though and reached Kathmandu in one piece. There it was time, for most of us from our tour group, to go on our own ways, meaning different hotels. Fortunately, the travel agency had arranged a Nepali dinner for all of us. The dinner was very nice and very fancy. The waiters brought everything to your plate and we only had to sit on our seats and eat. :)
Waterfall in the Kathmandu Valley
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