traveltoes

Palawan

2011-01-15T12:21:00.015+02:00

Back in the philippines and on this round it's time to try out the area on and around palawan.

Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan and it's a charming small city with all one might need to sort out things for the travel forward. I stayed there for 3 days to start with and must say it's an easy gateway to the philipino way of life with all the amenities one is accustomed to.

More on the town and our accommodation on later posts.

Today we tried out the underwater cave-tour in sabang, about 75kms up from puerto princesa center. It's shortlisted as one of the finalists for the next 7 wonders of the world and definitely the main attraction for its area.

You can hire a car or a motorbike and ride up yourself or get on one of the jeepneys taking you on a day-trip, including a guide, transportation, lunch and the entrance fees to the park and caves. Almost every hotel and travel agent sell tickets to the trips, which are supervised by a local tourism authority.

view along the way

We booked the trip from our hotel and got picked up in the morning after breakfast. Patience is a virtue i possess only in small quantities and got reminded about the philipino outlook on time when our pick-up was 40 mins late from the scheduled departure. Luckily at 7.30 in the morning my brain is not up and running yet so it didn't ruin my mood at all.

Our guide Gigi was a true professional with great personality and seemed to like her job. She was catering to our every need, telling interesting information about any rock formation or tree we passed along the way while making jokes and keeping up the atmosphere on the jeepney (in finland we'd call it a 8-seater while here it fitted 15pax with ease...).

It was a cloudy day to start with and i was happy to have brought my hoodie along allthough all other tourist seemed to be sporting barely more than hotpants and a top.

sabang harbour

Sabang harbour was the first stop where we were loaded on typical philipino style banca-boats. The searide took about 15-20 mins and can be quite rough if you're not accustomed to it.

At the entrance of the park you'd have to fill in your details and get in line for the river boat-tour. The wait was quite long, allthough the time we were told before to enter didn't stretch too much from the promised.

It started to rain really heavily and there was quite a commotion when the guides were trying to keep the crowd organized and get their own groups into the boats. It's a good idea to wear something that dries quick, my sweater was a big mistake at this time since waiting in the rain with soaked clothes tends to get cold..

banca-boats

We got another guide, who also served as the boatman on the river-ride. They're excellent professional people and the informative tour with a lot of jokes cheered everyone up again.

The underground river itself is truly a marvelous place. I've never seen anything like it and the excitement floating in the dark caves with only a halogen-torch (the person sitting in the front gets to operate it to the boatman's instructions) was a beautiful and enchanting experience.

inside the cave

loads of bats hanging..

So, all and all this is definitely a trip worth making, pack up a change of clothes if you wish to arrive back dry and have a relaxed attitude towards the little inconveniences that might come your way. Another thing to keep in mind is to hold on to your snacks and all little things you might be carrying, the monkeys around the park are sneaky little creatures who expertise in jumping at you and grabbing stuff from your hand or pockets :)

for more info check: www.puerto-undergroundriver.com

Fashion, oh fashion....

2010-05-23T21:11:00.009+03:00

I know the summer streetguide hasn't emerged as promised but honestly the absolutely crap weather besides the week i spent abroad has kinda slowed it down.

Last week i came across another great thing in spring Helsinki and that is fashion as raw as it gets. Every being capable of dressing themselves or having someone to do it for them have been strutting around in their best summerwear. It's absolutely wonderful to realize how good looking people this town holds and that they have only been submerged in the puffy stuffed sea of warm clothing, waiting to bare it all and get noticed again.

Also the graduation season is upon us and thankfully a bunch of fresh clothing designers are putting together their annual display of talent. I went to see the show by Lahden Muotoiluinstituutti last week and this coming wednesday is the taik's turn. Here are my favorites from the first one.

I was especially thrilled to see these beautiful under-and swimwear, nothing great in that genre has come out recently.

meanwhile..

2010-03-30T21:21:00.007+03:00

People seem to be a bit down about the slosh finally hitting town after a gruelling long winter. Some hope is also in the air as the first bicyclers are out and about. I'll be putting together a helsinki-guide of my favorite streets during the next couple of months, so stay tuned if you're planning to visit this coming summer. I'll leave you with some pics of a Diesel Be Stupid video shoot I had a lot of fun doing with great people!

belly happy :)

2010-02-22T12:02:00.010+02:00

I visited Hong Kong first time ever last november and became infatuated instantly. Coming back this january to confirm my love and yes, I have a new favorite among many others!

The friendly people, great shopping, breathtaking sceneries both in town and up the hills make you feel instantly at home but the most pleasing thing about this new acquaintance was that good food was everywhere!

We stumbled upon restaurants where we'd be the only westeners among 300 locals, ordering whatever smelled and looked good. Finding hip lunchtime hangouts to share with the stylish saturday shoppers and indulged in long dinners in the most comfortable restaurants I've ever visited.

Since this was a holiday and I do enjoy the long wine and dine way without counting the calories I'll let you in on my favorite way of ending the day here.

You need to work up an appetite for what's coming so i'd recommend a brisk day with activities. We decided to do what every tourist in Hong Kong should do and went to see the Tin Tan buddha. It's a very touristy- though excellently run- industry around it with the ngong ping 360 in front. One can also take a hike up the hill to the monastery and buddha but we spent some dollars to get us up with the cable car -it's still a fair walk from the end station to the statue.

In my opinion it was great. The view was beautiful and the statue itself very mesmerizing, go see for yourself.

A lively afternoon of shopping and wondering around hong kong island and kowloon side beats the rest of the energy out of your body so it's time to feast!

We started the night with drinks and nibbles at Tivo, a cozy and warm bar-restaurant run by an international aqua-group. i find it great to come across a place that belongs to a restaurant group and yet doesn't seem like it at all. Being dispirited by the poor quality of Helsinki's chain restaurants I might be overly excited by this one, but nevertheless I liked it. The cocktails were well made, delicious and served by friendly staff. The barsnacks fresh and tasty and by the looks of the plates at next table the dinner menu is also worth a taste.

But we dragged ourselves away from the cool drinks and navigated just few blocks down to Bistecca, an italian-style steakhouse with lots of great beef. The decor is rustic buthershop with taste and I must say lots of heavy food is better enjoyed seated on sturdy furniture without having to worry if something's gonna tip over.

The service was very attentive and the open kitchen kept customers entertained while savoring the delicious courses. We had ricotta meatballs, linguini with clams, steak, rosemary potatoes, gorgonzola salad and mouthwatering homemade sorbet with fresh cookies. Along with a bottle of wine, perrier, coffees and limoncello the bill was just a bit over 200€ and worth every penny!

The restaurant doesn't seem to have a website of it's own but you can see the menu here :)

meats on display at Bistecca

underwater malapascua

2010-01-24T21:22:00.017+02:00

Malapascua is famous for its diving and a load of people -me incuded- are here for lots if it.

You can find reputable diveshops lined next to each other on the beach offering courses for all levels. We did quite a bit of research among them before settling with the malapascua beach divers. They have a few boats with great crew and inhouse divemaster Erwin along with his old classmate Felix are sure to find you all the best spots and the most to see. They were both born on the island and having previously worked as boat crew and now already years as divemasters know these waters inside out.

I felt comfortable and safe diving with them and they had great stories to tell afterwards about the spots visited.

Tresher sharks are the celebrities of the island's divesites and one can spot them almost on every dive made near to their cleaning station, about 30 minutes boatride from the beach. Most of the dives are made dropping out to the big blue along a bouy-line, working your way around the divesite and coming back the same way. Some of the more shallow sites you can dive in no particulardirection and get the boat to pick you up when you surface.

For getting most out of diving here, I recommend completing the Advanced Open Water course either in advance or on the island because the most interesting sites are well below the OWD-licensed 18 meters. You also need some experience in entering the sites in between tides, when the currents can be quite strong. I really enjoyed some of the rougher rides when you flap like a flag on the line and then it's calm and beautiful down below.

There are great sites around the island, my favourites are Bantique with its seahorses and Deep Rock where schools of batfish and sometimes squids keep you company on the safety stop on the line. We also made daytrips to Gato island, about a 70 minute ride from malapascua with reefsharks sleeping under overhangs and a nice swim-through on the east side of it.

For a bit of safe extra excitement try out the sunset dive -a shallow dive just a bit off the beach where you can see mandarin fishes mating and so many seahorses you can't count. I'm also a big nudibranch fan and saw a huge variety in size, shape and color around this site.

Calaggaman island a bit further (about 2 hours by boat) is a paradise of its own. A corgeous atoll (someone with the correct technical term may correct me..) protruding from the sea with a breath-taking beach and amazing diving. Calaggaman is one of the trips i'd recommend to everyone. The corals start shallow enough for snorkelers to enjoy them as well and the beach is safe for the little ones of the family to have a great time too. You can pre-order a beach barbeque lunch prepared during your first dive so you come up to have some delicious fish or anything else, spend your surface interwall exploring the island and hop back to water. The coral garden on top of the atoll starts at about 4-5 meters and on the edge droppes to a straight wall going down to apparently a few hundred meters so divers with any level of experience can enjoy it all the same.

I'm sure the diving in Malapascua is nothing like it used to be 10 years ago, and still the bangs of dynamite fishing interrupt your dive from time to time. I just hope the local government would realise the importance of preservance before it's way too late.

I have recently learned that the owners of beach divers have decided to let the divemasters Felix and Erwin to go and diveshop manager Gregory Maciejowski has resigned due to professional disputes. In future references i recommend googling their names to see where they work and Greg said he's looking into putting up his own shop. :)

Pahuway!

2009-12-31T07:15:00.003+02:00

If lying in the sun, taking strolls around the island and feeding yourself well on regular

interwalls isn't relaxing enough try out the malapascuan speciality massage. The Malapascuan massage lady assosiation consists of 25 self-employed women who've trained in massage and practise on thebeach or come to your habitat. the full body swedish-style massage takes just a bit more than an hour and gets you relaxed from head to toe.

An added bonus is the sand -that on Malapascua beach is
so fine it gets everywhere- in between your skin and the lady's hands so you get a gentle all-body
scrub for the same price and if you prefer to smell delicious for the following day get the
coconut oil instead of unscented baby-oil (my boyfriend said i smelled of fresh waffles, not necessarily bad..) My prescription would be 2-3 times a week, at the sunset before dinner. Wash all the activities ofthe day away, get your sunburned skin soothed and wake up an hour later as a new you.
And if that isn't pampering enough, get one of the manicure ladies to join. She'll co-work with
your masseure and voila -manirure and pedicure done at the same time! Just remember to pick the color of the nailpolish before dozing off :)

At the moment the going rate for both services seemed to
linger around 300 pesos each. I got the massage and pedicure for 450p total, but i believe in the
heat of the high season the prices could be 50p or so more.
Anyway, a great massage, nails done, bodyscrub and a relaxed holiday mood for less than 10 euros is more than worth the money. The women are also a fun bunch to hang out with, they taught me to play cards and some words of cebuano. Talking about families and life in general, meeting the kidsand sometimes the husbands. I talked to some of the tourists also about how great this system is. To my surprise someseemed to feel embarrased to get a treatment and felt that they're demeaning the women by making them work.
People! these are professionals, trained in their skills and want to make money of it. They work for themselves,keep the money they make and are independent women with good jobs. The best you can do is consumethe services provided and enjoy while at it.
Pahuway-just relax!

Malapascuan style

2009-12-14T12:15:00.004+02:00

Malapascua, the island of beautiful beaches and great diving. All that is true but having traveled quite extensively in asia, I must describe Malapascua as the island of warmth -both in temperature and in peoples' behavior.

I met a couple who said it hasn't changed a lot in 10 years, which is a true miracle during todays tourist industry that has turned places like Koh Samui, Phuket and Bali into something quite different from a decade ago.
that is not to say that the local teenagers don't entertain the quirks of todays fashion and global music scene but the feeling all around is still true Malapascuan.

One can find all the necessities in life on the island. There's a bakery, clothes shops, convenience stores, lodging for all budgets and good restaurants and diveshops all over. The only thing lacking is medical services alltogether so stock up on everything you might need in that area. I usually travel with at least some basic painkillers and antibiotics and already a pack of penisilin has saved us a day-long trip to Cebu.

It's also fun and interesting getting to know the people. Everyone is generally friendly and don't seem to mind sharing a few moments answering questions. The kids I spent some time with during a celebratory lunch among neighbours are eager to learn about everything and already know a good deal - the education system here is great and at least the 12-yr olds seem to know a lot more about life than I did at that age.

More info coming up soon about this lovely place, so start plannig your trip!

Yummy Mums..

2009-11-20T14:50:00.007+02:00

New giveaway glossy-paper Mums was released in Finland yesterday night.

The swedish magazine continues a pathway laid by Vice putting a new exciting spin to it.

Launch party in Helsinki took place in the Diesel store in the heart of the city. The party crowd was entertained by a quirky musical act and bondage mermaids that were cruising the area tied up in various ways were a huge hit.

Chief editor Petter Mollenberg and fashion editor Martin Bergström seemed to enjoy the night meeting helsinki fashion-goers and sipping away at the launch and the afterparty held at Siltanen restaurant whose restaurant manager Richard McCormick was spinning the records at the party.

It's great to see new things being put together by enthusiastic people and although swedish isn't my mother tongue the articles are an easy read and it's never a bad thing to brush up :)

como te llamas?

2009-11-01T20:31:00.007+02:00

Finally a new, exciting bar emerged in Helsinki city center. It has been long awaited since the Kallio area has admittedly taken over as the hippest place to be in town. Lots of great places there, but it's lovely to have somewhere in between home and work where the atmosphere folds you in the warmth again.

Llama Bar is a pleasant surprise. A cluster of of furniture and decor creates a bazaar feeling yet leaves space for activity around the small premises. They'll be serving lunch starting next week but already you can find sorts of little eatables.

A bar serving snails cooked in herbs as a snack can't have the wrong idea what this town needs. Only time will tell wether it's going to be the new favorite of everyone or claim its place in the row of punavuori's classics.

Sirkus Finlandia

2009-10-18T14:12:00.010+03:00

Sirkus Finlandia has toured the country for decades already and are residing in Helsinki for another couple of weeks.

I went to see their show this year and was disappointed by the increase of animal acts. Though well kept, the animals showed clearly visible stress and anxiety surely caused by the touring.

Sea lions should definitely be living in the beautiful big blue instead of a portable tub on a sand field.

This defect also unnecessarily undermines the other brilliant and entertaining performances.

Antti Suniala being the only Finnish solo artist touring with the circus this year lives up to his reputation as being one of the most talented fire-jugglers in the world.

Also the acrobats and other performes are clear professionals and the house clowns best I've seen in a while. They worked hard in keeping the audience interacting and entertained in between acts.

So go and have a good laugh and get infatuated with the 'bending man' and if you agree with me about the unnecessity of animal acts please voice your opinion at least by not applauding during them. It's ok to have the fun family moment as an educational one too and the statement 'without animals there would be no circus' I extracted from the uneasy Master Of Ceremony has been triumphantly unvalidated by Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque de Soleil.

I believe that Sirkus Finlandia has the potential and know-how to develop into a house of great performes without the need to showcase stressed wildlife as a crowd-pleaser.

Tigi Photo Awards Finland

2009-10-04T22:26:00.006+03:00

Last night the long awaited show of Tigi creative team was finally again seen in Helsinki as part of the Tigi Photo Awards. Despite the worst weather we've seen this fall the event was a success and the party stretched well into the next day.

Led by Nick Irwin, Maria Kovacs and Akos Bodi did a demo presentation on the snazzy and beautiful of today's hair. I personally think I'm yet to see hair too big and enjoyed the show thoroughly.

Local make-up team did a great job as well in participating in creating the look for the show styled by Jiv. At least Tintti has some detailed material on the make-up in her blog.

two of my favorite photos featuring -surprise surprise, BIG hair!

I'd welcome more international teams to present their knowledge here so big hugs to

SKT-group for putting together a quality event!

...down memory lane

2009-09-20T21:07:00.009+03:00

Must say it's been a great summer and what's even better -it seems to still be going strong. You can see people enjoying the rays of sun still warming the bicycle rides to work in the morning, spontaneous picnics in the park and strolls around town.

I couldn't find satisfactory words to describe the good times of past months so i decided to put together my all-star set of summer 09.

_Design Fashion_

2009-09-12T18:28:00.003+03:00

Had a great time putting together a fashion show with professionals at the opening of helsinki design week. Seductive make-up and sleeked hair were the key frames for elaborate gowns and innovative new design. Make-up artist Mariela created the plastic lace masks out of a table cloth! Here's my favourite shots from a great looking show :)

Skate Sm 09

2009-08-30T14:26:00.004+03:00

Skateboarding championships in Helsinki were on full throttle when I got there early afternoon and continued well into the night.

Crazy talent was to be found all around but what caught my attention were the under 12yr series and its contestants.

Determination was apparent on the faces of the boys showcasing their tricks and everyone had moments succeeding. Also, living the life of a beauty industry worker, the obvious team spirit and solidarity amongst the contestants is something that reminded me how everyone can grow and gain from cooperation.

Here's some of my favourite moments captured trying out the Canon 70-200 f2.8l.

Bummer i need to be somewhere but there today so all you who have a choice in how to spend your sunday, go and marvel, cos today it's the pros' day!

Open series winner Sami Miettinen

My favourite picture of the day :)

I didn't get the names of the guys in the pictures so feel free to shout my way if u are / know them.

Finnish Catwalk

2009-08-25T10:25:00.001+03:00

Had a great couple of days working at the Finnish Catwalk fair.

Great people around, all very professional (even the 5yr-old models :) and despite early starts everyone had time to enjoy the sun in between shows.

Here's some of my favourite moments both on- and backstage.

Wreck ahoy

2009-08-13T09:35:00.008+03:00

Bali is, by many, considered one of the most beautiful places on this globe. I agree totally but was really disappointed in the southern tourist region of the island. Ubud, the artsy village located center of the island is definitely great fun but this time i'll pay my respects to the small eastcoast village of Tulamben.

It takes about 4 hours from kuta and 3 from ubud to reach the place by car. the traffic gets a bit crazy sometimes so a local driver with a sturdy jeep is not a bad call.

Unless you have confirmed lodging address where you'll be heading upon reaching Tulamben, one might get a bit overwhelmed by the fact that you're dropped off roadside to what seems exactly like the last 30 kilometers you just journeyed. But there's definitely more to this charming place than meets the eye. On the beachside you'll find a couple of resorts with scuba operators attached and on the other side of the road there's cheaper local accommodation and independent dive shops lined up.

Unfortunately all but one of the local dive operators were run by foreign people. With their shiny exteriors and multilingual staff they're a better choice for someone who's just dipping their head under for the first time.

If you have any experience ( i did my first dives here after completing OWD) and want to support the true locals I'd definitely and with a warm smile recommend the blue water diving. Run by a couple of local guys, the atmosphere is efficient and friendly. If staying for more than a couple of days you'll usually be able to bargain a great deal and the divemaster who stayed with us for the whole 2 weeks was a true natural. Having dove the waters from the age of 10 he'd know all the best spots and seemed to actually hang out with the fish as he'd be one of them.

All the gear was in top condition and carried by porters, who are a great example of local people joining forces for a mutual good.

The divesites are diverse and the Liberty wreck one of the most fun wrecks to dive cos it's located so shallow and gets loads of light.

Also hanging out along the road that binds the village together you can't escape the true ardour for life and the genuine kindness of the people. I've never before or since experienced that kind of ambiance.

there'd be so much to gush about so i'll just say: go and see for yourself!

all pics by Timppa

Safe Eats

2009-08-01T12:14:00.008+03:00

Now that another friend arrived from a trip abroad having suffered some sort of digestive dilemma and having encountered quite a few on my travels myself I decided it's time to list the 'safe eats' rules by me.

# tap water is generally not the best idea to consume at the start of the trip. The bacteria being usually so different from where you're from may cause your insides to act on it. However this doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the water. If need arises, desensitizing your tummy by brushing your teeth with it for a week or so first gives you a general idea how you'll react.

#Cooked food is good food. Proper heating gets rid of most of the bacteria and steering on the vegetarian side releases you from worrying about salmonella and the sorts. Then again the same knife might be used to cut raw animal products and vegetables.

#When eating fish, make sure it's fresh and get the whole fish. More that once i've witnessed big day old barracudas missing a couple of fillet steaks rinsed in the sink and placed back to display with the fresh catch.

#No animals (except on the plate) with your food. Scratching a scabby stray dog while using the same hand to eat pineapple cut with a dirty knife (STUPID!!!) most likely landed me with

IBS-like symptoms doctors say i'll be getting along with for the rest of my life.

#Wash your hands, use hand disinfectant if you feel like it but most of the time soap will do just fine. Don't pick your nose, scratch your head or scavenge your feet while eating.

#enjoy your food. Don't get paranoid just cos something doesn't look like at home. Explore and try new flavors, eat where the locals do and if your tummy is as sensitive as mine you'll be best friends with the bowl at some point anyways. Might as well get it over with sooner than later.

photo: Ross C

ragged fun

2009-07-25T13:28:00.007+03:00

A very slow tuesday night in lower manhattan. Bar hopping, feeling really restless and can't stay put for more than a drink at a time. In the search of a conclusive way to end the night we staggered upon Mars and yes, it was a planet of it's own.

Dark narrow space loaded with boxes of beer along one wall and a bar along the other. Quite soon we figured why the end of the counter occupied by us had been empty till then. Barstools were held together by the holy spirit and the toilets where 'trapeze skills come quite handy' were right by.

All and all the place was fun and rowdy, exactly what one needs sometimes to take the edge off...

Nolita gem

2009-07-23T12:05:00.005+03:00

Slouching my way through the streets of Nolita, trying to find something refreshing for lunch I suddenly spotted a view that instantly took me back to the streets of Newtown, Sydney. Passing by this cozy rugged inviting little lounge and a shining smile of the cute guy working ( I never got his name) made me go around the block and back there.

Excellent fresh food for a hot summer day, cool drinks and great atmosphere definitely makes this place worth a visit on your new york trip.

You'll also get a peak of local artist's painting and tips for other great places around.

For address and full menu check out their website and go get a piece of surf to your N.Y day.

New adventures

2009-07-14T10:33:00.004+03:00

On my way to the airport again :) It's always exciting, no matter if you're away for a day or a month. There will be some great new photos and tips coming your way soon but here's something beautiful to look at while waiting for the rain to stop...

klong dao beach, koh lanta

Summer Hair

2009-06-27T21:25:00.004+03:00

Summer in Helsinki is at its best. People are out everywhere, smiling and enjoying the sun. Here are my favorite summer looks, perfect around town and at the beach. Bouncy, shaggy and sexy :)

Hair by Tigi academy, New York.

Samba around town!

2009-06-13T17:14:00.011+03:00

Completely un-retouched, fresh from the sunny streets of Helsinki, forget the picture-perfect polished model-images and check out this stellar groove of cute butts and local fun!

photos by yours truly

2009-06-04T12:26:00.008+03:00

Here's some of my favorite moments during the past couple of weeks, when the sun was shining and u'd think the summer had finally arrived...

Delicate moments during the finnish national ballet summer show..

serene sunday

2009-05-24T18:13:00.010+03:00

my oh my how many cheerful people one finds in Helsinki on a sunday afternoon. Tolerance seemed to be the key amongst them and i thoroughly enjoyed the warm feeling that comes with it. All of the irritating little things i've bothered myself with the past couple of days were washed away with the realisation that there actually are people out there who just try to get along. Genuine caring for the wellbeing of others and the effort to educate and build a more tolerant environment radiated all around.

cycling is a great way to get around. if ur interested in promoting a healthy way of moving and want better cycling roads in Helsinki, check out the date for the next kriittinen pyöräretki.

also check out Rodrigo Duende's PauBrasil jewelry. Liked the sunny feeling of those a lot :)

all pictures by me, trying my best...

move around and stay still

2009-05-24T12:15:00.002+03:00

now everyone get ur shoes on and venture to kaisaniemi, helsinki to experience the world! Great food, great people and a beautiful day ahead. More about it later..

a great read

2009-05-08T09:58:00.007+03:00

had a really chill day yesterday and wandered into a newly renovated helsinki library on rikhardinkatu. If you love the old, kinda mossy feeling of libraries go take a look. It's a beautiful old building with a touch of hip inside. I had completely forgotten why this was once one of my favorite places to be but it came back instantly. Plus there is a huge selection of travel guides and dictionaries so one can just sit back and explore infinite possibilities of the next destination. There's also an art loan gallery downstairs -affordable deco for the summer to spice up your pad.

library's website

2009-05-05T19:17:00.002+03:00

traveltoes are itching again.. I love the energy and happiness spring brings but with it comes also the itch to move along. There are too many places to see and be in and the change you see in the people around you really doesn't diminish the feeling. Finns especially go absolutely nuts for the light and warmth... The atmosphere is definitely on the exciting side, you feel the possibility of a wonderful summer lurking around the corner. I've taken a mission to document it in pictures this year so you'll see some great moments (i hope) very soon :)

analogy lounge

2009-04-29T21:08:00.007+03:00

this great hideaway in the buzz of tokyo is a true gem in the midst of these efficient and polished bars. In the area of Ebisu I stumbled into this rooftop lounge and had one of the greatest lunches in tokyo. The food itself was good, nothing outstanding in the infinite pool of great and fresh dishes served anywhere in the area but the superfriendly service and great decor makes analogy a must visit while in town. Take either the Hibiya or Yamanote line to Ebisu station, exit on the east entrance and take a left towards a gently sloping 'hill'. I'd say a good 300 meters and you see the Analogy Lounge sign on the right hand side on the side of the building. Don't lose faith even if the climb through the narrow staircase seems never-ending. On the top a bliss awaits :)

Dream on dreamer..

2009-04-26T18:28:00.003+03:00

had a great night out yesterday celebrating my friend's birthday. we were dancing the night away and got talking about traveling. it's more than clear that i love it and in particular the movement of it. i want to make clear that one can travel anytime anywhere. You can go to a hot, sensual place just by dancing an intense salsa or to a soft tranquil moment by reading a poem. i believe in experiencing by being present and it can happen physically or mentally (you won't believe the places i've seen in my dreams :) and the day timetravel becomes a physical activity i'll be sure to try it right away!

In the meantime, take a moment to marvel the physical abilities of Joaquin Cortez the king of flamenco. I'm just in pure awe of the talent and of course the very attractive exterior ain't a negative in any way...

2009-04-23T22:39:00.006+03:00

here are some great looks for traveltoes! In these comfortable chic ensembles you're good to go from sunbed to subway. Really feels like it's time to get the toes in some pretty sandals and take them for a spin around town. Helsinki looks like a livable place again now that the people are on the move. So let your personal sun shine on through and make those around you feel the heat!

2009-04-22T22:20:00.002+03:00

today another beautiful day in the life of a spring maniac. Have been traveling inside of my head to places far far away with the book Girls of Riyadh. Definitely a fun read and a great insight in the life behind the veil, of which at least I had no idea of. Pick up your favorite book or a new unknown one and dive deep into the world of possibilities and new ideas.

Spring is here!

2009-04-21T14:19:00.004+03:00

It’s a beautiful day outside and I have a definite feeling the summer is on it’s way and we don’t need to face another gloomy and cold day before next fall.

Vappu (1^st of may) is only a week away and the whole town seems to be in the mood for smiles and love.

Last year this time I was in Japan, paying my first visit to the country of gadgets and geishas. And what’s more to my interest, the elaborate updos and wigs geishas nowadays wear. I was fortunate enough to be in Kyoto on the 30^th of April when the last performances of Miyako Odori were in play and we scored leftover tickets to the show just 20minutes before the last performance.

There are plenty of theatres in Kyoto that hold similar shows but they’re all called different names based on where the theatre is located and which district the performing maikos come from.

The show was spectacular, just the way I always thought it would be (think the movie memoirs of a geisha) and the tatami seats on the balcony of the theatre offered a good view of the whole stage.

After the show on the same day there were plenty of dressed up maikos and geikos on the streets and I got a couple of great pictures of them. My local guide said I was really lucky to see so many of them, lots of tourist end up disappointed to realize there are only regular looking people around. In my opinion the time at the turn of april and may, though the cherryblossoms are already gone, is a great opportunity to spot the town in it’s splendor of spring.

Wellbeing in Kerala

2009-04-15T22:03:00.005+03:00

We have a training day for indian head massage the coming sunday and I remembered the very efficient Ayurveda massage I had in Kerala. The previously mentioned owner of Saj's booked us a 'massage and steam bath' combo at the medical parlor he attends on a regular basis.

Sounded great and I'm always ready to try anything new and presumably relaxing on a holiday..

The place looked like a potion shop from the 20's with all the brown glass bottles lined up in the front with no obvious labels on them. There were separate sides for both sexes and I was greeted with 3 women who wasted no time in getting me naked and pouring a cup of oil on my head. I was given a pair of gauze G-string ( I was told the guys were left without) which pretty much just soaks to your skin with the oil used.

A nice head massage including the insides of my ears and nose and i was whisked onto a curved plank of wood which served as a massaging table. Trying to balance yourself on your back on a convex piece of wood all covered in oil while two strong pairs of hands briskly swing their way all over you was definitely a challenge :) My muscles felt really loosened after 45 minutes of work and you could see the masseuses sweating so a thorough job was done.

I had been dreaming about the promised steam bath for a while before the massage was over and was hopefully peering towards the half-open door at the back of the room.

To my surprise the showed me into a cubic meter sized wooden box where there was a bench inside and your head would stay out after they closed the latch on the top.

So there you sit, all helpless and the two girls start going through your bag on the bench! Luckily they were only curious of the book I was reading and I explained them about the twists and turns of Bergdorf Blondes. Meanwhile someone had placed a wash basin at my feet and a flexible hose from the nearby boiling steamer was pulled to it. Finally I realized what the bath was about and was happy to feel the warm steam spread in the cold box I was in. As a Finn I'm used to and quite like the sauna-like atmosphere but the locals seemed to be very concerned about my ability to tolerate the heat. They kept on asking if it's ok and I kept on telling them to turn up the heat and the minute I said it was good and ok they shut the whole thing down and pulled me out.

A quick shower and a vigorous rub with a towel which left me with two great starts of dreads on my head and I was good to go.

I met a couple of fairly confused looking guys in the lobby (they said a shyer bloke might have felt a bit intimidated with two big guys telling you to strip and oiling you all over :) and we all agreed our skins were soft and despite all the weirdness of it we felt great and the experience did what was promised. I can't remember the name of the place (I'm not sure we were even told) but call Saj or find any local traditional Ayurveda center and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

fever...

2009-04-14T20:10:00.003+03:00

Still having the worst time this year, i hate being sick (as if someone likes it i guess...)

The raising fever got me thinking of the ever so warm india. I guess most people have been to Goa and allthough it's a wonderful place to chill and meet people I'd definitely recommend a good 17 hours south on a train and get off at the lovely town of Cochi, Kerala.

A cluttered city centre with all the normal challenges u meet in an indian town as a blond tourist, but Fort Cochi -a short ferry ride or a bit longer tuktuk (open air condition -of course) adventure over the bridge from the mainland is so worth it when u get there.

We stayed at a great little homestay at Saj's which was pretty much a walking distance from the 'center' of the island (finnish people surely get the Suomenlinna vibe from the place).

The owner of the place can help u with anything and gladly recommends all sorts of nice activities, more of which later...

Alcohol seems to be banned in the state except for the internationally owned hotel bars and of course there was none in fort cochi. Luckily we found a nice seafood restaurant almost opposite the unoperated (old?) cityhall that served 'special tea' for the thirsty tourists.

After spending a couple of days wondering around the fort it became quite obvious that this was the place to be and one could spot all the parties 'dining' with several one-litre teapots on the table :)

Slowly but surely

2009-04-13T19:22:00.005+03:00

Stuck home with a cold, stuffing my face with antibiotics to get myself back on track tomorrow.. Wondering around the WWW and realized that Jazzanova will also be playing at the Flow festival in Helsinki 13.-16.08.09! I've wanted to see them for a really long time and a bunch of other great acts seem to be getting together to perform at the probably best festival that Finland has to offer.

Check out www.flowfestival.com for the still growing list of acts there.

Getting started

2009-04-12T20:16:00.002+03:00

There have been so many great places on my way so far that i haven't the idea where to start. I've visited 4 continents and all of them have bedazzled me with their signature looks and atmospheres. I'm a hairdresser and have a thing for all beautiful beings wether they may be human or insects. Beauty is everywhere around us and taking it in wherever I may be makes my life that much easier to steer towards new and exciting ventures.