The Monkey Temple

View from the temple

The Monkey Temple ( originally named Swayambhunath) is one of the main tourist attractions and a holy place for locals in Kathmandu. The temple itself is ancient and around it is a whole village with monks, shops and cafe's. It takes easily few hours just to walk around the area and enjoy the mystical atmosphere.

Small stupas in the temple area

Area got it's nickname from the hundreds of monkeys living in the area as well as the monkey statue which is one of the holy statues there. Monkeys leave people usually in peace but the guide told us not to get too close for the adults are very protective and might bite.

One of the two entrances to the temple - 365 steps uphill

Roll for good luck. Ancient sanskrit scripts

Shops in temple area

What: The Monkey Temple

Where: in Kathmandu

How: Take a local taxi to get there and away

How much: Entrance fee 200 rupees (1,8 Euro)

New Year in Nepal

I was lucky to get a flight to Nepal, where I had never been before but also a place that is one of the most thrilling places in this planet! I think most of us would love to see the Mount Everest ones during their lifetime.

This picture is taken in downtown Kathmandu. Which you could never guess of course. What is the first thing you see when arriving the city is the thick fog and darkness that covers the city. It's because there is no electricity in most of the buildings and even in our 4 star crew hotel we had electricity power cut offs all the time. So how does the people keep warm in this remote land?

By making fires. So the whole city is filled with this strong smell of smoke and sometimes it felt almost impossible to breath through it. Locals cover their mouth and nose with masks but us weren't that well prepared.

And because there's no electricity the city gets quiet quite early. It was a new year night but after 1 AM there was nobody walking on the streets than taxis and police cars.

We celebrated the new year by eating local food and as you can see from the picture it was delicious! Especially I have to appraise the local lassi drink which tasted totally different from what I'm used to in nepalese restaurants in Finland but it was delicious! And the whole menu was only about 8 euros for 2 persons! Place is called Anatolia Restaurant and you can find it in Thamel, J.P. Road.

The next morning we woke up with my friend at 5 AM, took a cab and drove an hour up to a place called Nagarkot. The small village is on top of the hill in 2000 meters above sea level. And the view is simply amazing! You can see the sun coming behind Mt Everest and Annapurna, lighting mountains little by little.. you get speechless. I think it was the perfect way to start this New Year, to see the light fighting it's way behind those majestic mountains. I truly hope this year will be like that, that the light will come and expose all that is hidden. And to give hope and future.

There are several hostels, lodges and even a nice hotel where you can stay overnight. We went to Club Himalaya Hotel for a breakfast after the sunrise and it was a great ending for that morning.

Bye bye iPad

FInally i got rid of my iPad! Sorry to say so but after i bought it 3 months ago I regret buying every single day. Perhaps you remember my unsuccessful shopping trip to Apple Store on October when I was supposed to buy the MacBook Air. Well that didn't really worked out so I went and bought the iPad instead. Only soon to discover that it needed the laptop to even start the bloody gizmo! Or to get the iCloud.. and how difficult it was to backup my pictures from iPhone to iPad without it. And how iPad doesn't support flash or other Adobe software. So that most of the webpages doesn't open. Or that most of our crew hotels offer free internet but only with cable and I had the wi-fi version!

So yesterday I went and sold that crap! And bought a proper laptop. So here it is: MacBook Pro - my new darling :) And now everything works, finally.

But before getting too excited let's take a step back. Because I still have this iPhone 4 which was jail braked after I moved to this country. And it was done twice. So stupid as I was and too excited about all my new gadgets I plugged my iPhone with MacBook and it offered me to get the new version for iPhone. Without thinking it so much I told iTunes to override my iPhone and install the latest version. But that was a terrible mistake! Because now it has erased the jailbreak and it doesn't recognize this SIM card. So the phone is locked and unable to use it. And the worst part is that I'm leaving to Kathmandu early tomorrow morning for the New Year. And I was planning to see the sunrise behind the Mount Everest... and take some pictures. Well, I think that will be impossible right now if the guys in these dark shops can't fix my phone.

So what is the lesson? Never buy a phone which is not unlocked. Or never ever install anything in it if you do. Or don't buy this shit at all :) Well the last is not an option, i still love my apple products, can't help it..

How to offer services to tourists: by Melbourne

I have to admit that one thing Australia is way ahead is the way they have organized information, services and guidance to tourists nd back packers. I haven't seen anywhere else it done as well as all over Australia.

I had my first flight to Melbourne just a while ago and that city can now be my example of these services. First of all: you can find big tourist information centers everywhere in the city. And it's always located in the middlenof everything sobthat you can't really miss that. And they have everything you need, the brochures, maps, timetables, people answering to your weardest questions...

But that is not so special, many cities have that same. But have you seen a free hop on hop off buss service for tourists anywhere? Inhaven't and when I heard about it i couldn't believe my ears! The bus leaves every 30 minutes and makes quite a trip around the city and it's most important sightseens. It takes all together 1,5 hours but you will stop at least two or three times. It took us propably 4 to 5 hours and could have easily taken longer.

Another special service they have is a free tram that also serves tourists and goes around the city center and it's shopping streets. So you'll have many options to rest your feet and see the city very easily.

Everything doesn't have to cost a fortune and companies/cities can actually give something for free somethimes. I believe because of that the country is so well known among especially backpackers who come to Australia every year and spend months (and a lot of money as well) and gives their share to Australia. I believe the special atmosphere Australia has, that you feel welcomed makes people to come back and tell their frends how great the country is. At least me and my friends have all done the same, shared our great experiences to each other. And i can easily promote this country to everybody :)


More info about the Melbourne Free Tourist Bus found here

Ski Dubai

I spent my Christmas (well actually 23rd December bec I was flying on Christmas) sking with my friends at Dubai.

In Finland we have amazing ski slopes in Lapland but the last time I was skiing was propably more than 4 years ago.

It sounds absolutely absurd to have slopes in the middle of the desert and in fact that's exactly how it is. The place is absurd but believe me - after not having snow in a year and having Christmas I was ready to have a try.

The ski slopes are inside the Mall of the Emirates, a beautiful mall close to Dubai Marina. At the price of 180 AED you get a ski pass for 2 hours, skis, boots, even socks and clothes. The only thing ypu should bring with you are warm cloves. And that we didn't had so we were freezing our hands ;)

At the slopes it is minus 4 degrease so it feels like winter. And at least on that day the slopes were quite empty so it was nice to ski there with no rush. Most of the people went to other snow activities.. most of the locals don't know how to ski so it's better for them (and for us) not to have them there.

I have to admit that even I had my reservations about the place it managed to surprise me very positively. Slopes are not long of course and there's not much variation but it doesn't matter at all. I wanted to see and touch snow, have a hot chocolate and ski for few hours. That made my Christmas :)

More info: www.skidxb.com

Merry Christmas!

Photo taken @ Christmas Market in Souk Madinat, Dubai

One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my whole life <3

Dubai Old Souk

This is my favourite area in the city! It's next to the Dubai Creek at the end of the city center area. Surrounded by the ocean it has a history of trading goods. Even today it's harbours are full with old wooden ships carrying goods from Asia, especially from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

There is a Souk specialized with gold, another with herbs, third with mattresses, another with househild goods such as pots and cattles. There is litterarly something for every need you might have. And you are expected to bargain the prices as the local habit is.

There are shopping areas in oth sides of the creek but no worries - you can take a taxi boat to take you across with only 1 dirham! And it is an experience as well, the boats are old and wooden and sometimes quite full of people.

And don't forget to visit the Heritage Village which is just around the corner!

Dubai Heritage Village

Even though the city offers some amazing modern architecture I prefer the older style and more traditional. You can taste the history of the nation and the bedu lifestyle in the Heritage Village which is located in the city center and can easily reach by metro.

The day I visited it it was very quiet so it's propably one of the places where you can have some time of yourselve and enjoy the outdoor area and some quiet moments.

Next to the Heritage Village is also the Old Souks and Old Gold Souk so there is so much to see and experience. I highly recommend this area for anybody who want's to see something original and get the touch of the real arabian culture.

What: Heritage Village
Where: Downtown Dubai near Dubai Creek. About 15 km from Burj H
Khalifa.
When: Sat - Thu 08:00-22:00, Fri 08:00-11:00 & 16:00-22:00
How: take a subway, get off from Al Khubaiba Metro station ( 8 dir per person). Or you can also take a taxi ( appr. 20 dir from Burj Khalifa)

Burj Khalifa

I just came back from Dubai after spending some time there with my friends and family. I've only been there few times but not really had the time to investigate city's soul. This time I managed to see most of the main tourist attractions as well as the local lifestyle in the western people populated areas of the city.

Here is the number one destination which everybody coming to Dubai should see, The Burj Khalifa - tallest building in the world.

It took 5 years to build it and at one point they even run out of money. So they lended some money from the ruler of Abu Dhabi and after that they had to change the name of the tower to Burj Khalifa. Something that as an Abu Dhabi citizen I'm very pleased of ;)

The building is next to the world fmous shopping mall Dubai Mall and the entrance goes through the mall. But in order to get to the observation deck which is situated at the 124th floor you need to buy the tickets online few days before visiting becuse those are always sold out. The ticket costs 100 dirhams which is approximately 20€. The tour gives you much more thn just the deck and the views and I think it was well worth the money spent. I visited the deck during daylight when I was able to see the city properly. But I will go there again after the sunset because the city looks totally different with all the lights, I think it will be even better.

Here is the official web page for more information:

Www.burjkhalifa.ae

40th National Day of UAE

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Today the country celebrated it's independence and they really did it properly!

Here the main attraction is to gather next to the ocean bulevard to watch the cars driving by with some creative national decorations, flags, bears - you name it in, on top or next to the cars! And lso people were hanging outside windows, sitting on the roof or even standing on it while the car was moving!

Locals really love their cars, that's their way to celebrate. Back in the history they used to have camels and horses and they did exactly the same thing.. Speeding, dancing, singing, firing guns. Nowdays they have only moved to more horsepower but you can still see the tradition behind. I really love it!

Emirates preparing for 40 years celebration

Country has it's 40th birthday coming on 2nd of December and the preparations are visible in all over the city.

I'll be here on that day and going to the Corniche beach to see the party and concerts. Everybody are telling me that it gets totally crazy.. people dancing on their cars, spraying each other and having the best time of their life!

I really want to see how people celebrate in this country because usually emiratis are very calm and quiet. And also because they don't use any alcohol to celebrate and in my culture people always tell me how you can't have fun without drinking.. I want them to prove finns wrong! :)

http://en.uaenationalday.ae/

Back in South-Africa

This really is my favourite destination! The flight is amazing, so relaxed because the passangers are so nice :) And the country itself is so beautiful, they have excellent beef, wine is good and cheap, people so kind and happy and sun is shining :)

Close to our hotel is a small street market. We went there yesterday and I couldn't help my self.. I bought so many nice things for my home! All is hand made and traditional from around arfica from different tribes. I love this kind of stuff to collect, something to remember these trips later.

Today we got our roster for next month. And even that I requested Seychelles for christmas I got cold Moscow instead! So not so lucky this time but I won't complain because I've had so good flights for the past 3 months now. And I get to Kathmandu for new year's eve :)

Rainy summerday in Sydney

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Night view Singapore

Rainforests in Singapore

As I promised I will tell you what was the real experience for me in that beautiful city.

This time of the year is a monsuune season and it rains a lot. Relly a lot! But because of that the nature is simply breathtaking. And even in the middle of the city center you can find yourself in the middle of these gigantic trees and funny birds that just don't stop singing. It's truly magical!

I had time to go only to a small park but there are big nature reservers where you can spend a whole day wondering. So I will do that the next time I go there.

Marina Bay - Singapore

Singapore is a very small country and the city itself has over 4 million inhabitants. With that figures it's one of the most tensed populated cities in the world. But actually you don't really see that. Because the city lacks the slums that most of the big overpopulated cities are so well known of. Instead Singpore is one of the most advanced cities in the world. It's like Tokyo, you can see technology everywhere and everything works so well. People are working wiyh business or high tech and have a very high level of education. And compared to Abu Dhabi in Singapore the goverment wants the imigrants to have Singaporean citicenship so they grant passports to chinese, indian, indonesian and european workers who come there to live.

The main business area in Singapore is around the Marina Bay. Bay has huge skyskrapers all over and it looks very beautiful. They also have culture over there, modern museum and many five star hotels. And of course a big mall with all the intetnational brands like Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton.

It is a must see place for a first time visitor but actually I found something much more interesting on the other side of tje city later that day. I will tell you more about it tomorrow :)

Byron Bay - the real surfer's paradise

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So I went to Byron on wednesday by bus and it only took less than 2 hours to get there. But how different the place is from Surfers! When Surfers used to be the place for surfers, bikinis and beaches Byron is that now. Surfers is full of families, crowded beaches, high end shops, nightclubs and even a casino! But Byron is still a small hippie village with cheap hostels, bars, Billabong shops and young backpackers. And most of them are surfing.

Byron center is actually only one street. Everything is close. The main beach is right next to the center with 3 km white sand and strong wind. But I didn't stayed at the beach. I walked to the lighthouse that is very famous over there. There's no buses going there so you have to walk, like everywhere else in the place. But it's worth of all the struggle!

The walk starts from the beach. You walk at the very end of it. From there you find a car park and at the corner starts a narrow path right through the forest.

So off you go. Start climbing, 1,5 km uphill. It took me propably over an hour to walk there because of the view! I just had to stop every 5 meters to take pictures and amaze the beauty of the place! You have to see it for your self.. On your right opens the deep blue ocean with white beaches and on your left a green rainforest with birds singing. It is magical! And the views are just breath taking!

The view is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen! Only Capri in Italy is beating Byron. That was years ago but I still remember.. The clear greenish blue Mediterraean sea against the white mountain of Capri. The path down starts from Axel Munthe's villa and is so romantic, old and narrow like from a fairytail <3 But Byron is very close to that.

So eventually I reached the lighthouse and the view was amazing! There's even a small cafe where you can buy drinks, something you really need after that walk :)) That lighthouse is very famous not only becuse of it's beauty but also because it is the most eastern spot in Australia.

But you have to walk down as well. I hate to go the same routes and always if possible I take a new road because I want to see something new. So I continued and found another path on the other side. That pth went straight inside the rainforest, totally different experience from the first walk! It felt magical listening to all tje birds and other animals wich you coudn't see but the noise was crazy!

But the best was still to come. Between the trees I saw this completely quiet beach with only surfers in the water. No sunbathing, no shops, no lifeguards, only surfers. And the beach was so beautiful, like a secret hideaway that only few knows.. A small paradise on earth.

It's a pitty I don't surf. Actually I'm even afraid trying. But I love watching and I love the athmosphere. It is so relaxed, easy going, no worries, just enjoying life as it comes. Because that's how I want to live my life as well. I have always fought against mainstream way of life because at least for me that is not what I value in life. I don't want someone else to tell me what is a good life, how you should have a upgoing career, plans for future, a house and a car bought by a bank loan, 4 weeks vacation and a job you feel stressed and depressed in.

So I still rebell and seek the company of people who are free spirits. Who listen to their inner voice and live their life to the fullest. Who don't seek for money but values. That's why I have always been weak for people who surf, snowboard etc because in that lifestyle is this freedom, rebellious attitude, enjoying life to the fullest your own way. Not living inside Matrix but living your own life where you make your own choices.

Sunset in Surfer's

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Surfers Paradise, Australia

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Second day in a paradise. Still tomorrow to go. This definitely is a beach city. All activity is at the beach and nearby streets. Shops sell beach wear and flipflops. Restaurants offer snacks and beer. Beach has these famous lifeguards (hot) ;) and the whole lifestyle is relaxed and with "taking it easy" attitude.

But still it's missing something. The surfers. I can't see anyone surfing here. I bet the place the real surfers go is somewhere where the turists don't end up. Where they have their own gang and lifestyle without anyone watching. This place is so full of turists that it has lost it's authenticity.

So tomorrow I will take a bus and go down from here to Byron Bay. That small city should be more natural without the commercial feeling around it. So let's see how I like about it. I bet it's much better than Surfer's.

From Singapore

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This time in Singapore. We flew here on friday and stayed for 2 nights. now I'm in Australia's Gold Coast and flying back to Singapore on thursday and spend another 2 nights over there. So it's a long time away from Abu Dhabi and Ilove it!

Iwill post more pictures about the city later this week. Now I have only seen some clubs because for crew Singapore is a place to party. They have these amazing nightclubs on a rooftop above skyscrapers. What a view!

One another thing that's special about the city is the law. Singpore is propably the cleanest city in the world and there are hard fines even in littering. This sign is a good example about how strict they are over there. Even if driving a bisycle in a wrong place you can get a ticket for over $ 500 US. So be careful and check the rules. But because of the strict law tje city is so beautiful and modern, safe and clean to enjoy. Later this week I will take a long walk in the city and try to find the soul of the city.