Bangkok

"Krung Thep means City of Angels, but we are happy to call it Bangkok if it helps to separate a farang from his money." - Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep in the novel Bangkok Eight by John Burdett

Two days ago I was skiing. Now a psychedelic flurry, fuss and hullabaloo was surrounding me. The air was like a warm sweaty woolen cloth. There was definitely no need for the UNIS-jacket I had been carrying around for years. Everything happened at the same time. There was people sleeping in the middle of pedestrian street, motor-cycles, every third person yelling "Hello mister!" after me and trying to sell something, cars and cats crawling around, an annoyed looking dog watching over a half eaten chicken wing in the middle of busy street. The environment change I had gone over within past days was huge.

From the airport I was driven to a place called Khao San road, because I failed to say where I want to go. The place turned out a limbo (=bad place). I decided to walk a little and found a guest house about 15 mins from the hazzle. There were no cats or dogs inside the rooms and even an own toilet was included. A luxury, I understand. Just a perfect place for a lost tourist. I heard that it's good to eat where eat where the locals are eating. A small booth on the street. Tables full of local looking people. Must meet my standards. I was served a noodle soup with some stuff, including pieces of intestines (as a biologist I would define them as pieces of chicken rectum). The price (30 bath / 0.7 euros) included very detailed instructions how to use sticks for a soup. The food wasn't bad. At least I didn't get dirrhea. It's save to eat where the locals are eating, I take it...

However, it seems that all the books I have been reading, the stories I have heard and the films I have been watching, have not prepared me for what I have faced. The more I walk and look, the less I see. This place is just so much different from all the other places I have been. Bangkok is too big place for a small lonesome guy. It's time to move on. An old studying friend is having a holiday in Phuket. I thought that it could be cool to visit him on the way to Ko Tao. Today I'll go to find a bus ticket. More photos (and hopefully better ones) later on.

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Towards Siam

Grayish blurry Helsinki. The capital of Finland. The only city in the country. The origo of all Finnish civilization. A place where appearance is important. A desert for the lonesome.

Luckily good people makes miracles for the spirit of such places. It was cool to meet old and new friends. Thanks for the cool night, guys! Even so, the feeling when my plane left the city can't be specified. Let's just say that it was quite good.

The trip to Siam was a good opportunity to meet new people. An American oil-man is taking snuff and sniffing a lot, but he's also a good guy who has seen quite many places. An exited Dutch guy was out of home for first time in his life. He wanted to do many cool things in a short time and reminded me of one Danish friend I met on Svalbard... On the other hand he was not that enthusiastic after all.

After 25 hours of false sleeping and observing people I arrived to Bangkok, the capital of old Siam.

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...and so it begins

"Here I am - on the road again

There I am - up on the stage
Here I go - playing star again
There I go - turn the page"

"Turn the page" by Bob Seger 1973

Leaving. For some reason I have always liked the thought of leaving. The trip doesn't necessaryly need to be long, but simply nothing wins the feeling of leaving. To be able to crap a back-bag, step out, close the door behind. Not to think about the past, but to feel every second of the future blowing against your face. No duties, only opportunities.

However, today's leaving is something special. For years I have been reading, watching and listening stories about leaving for a longer trip to somewhere. For years I have felt envy to those, who have earned their departure by working, saving money and neglecting the joys of life just to be able to leave. It is my turn today. Finally, today is the day, when I'll leave.

First step is to take a train to Helsinki, where I am gonna meet some old Svalbard friends. Tomorrow my plane departs towards Siam. This is it. The journey has began!

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Exploring the World Around

A citation from a song "Kuoleman risteyksestä kolme virstaa pohjoiseen" 2003 of Finnish rock band CMX :

"Kaikki mitä teet on tehty, kaikki mitä näet on nähty
Kaikki mihin kosketat on monin käsin kosketeltu
Muttei sinun käsilläsi, muttei sinun silmilläsi
Muttei sinun sisälläsi ennen kuin on itse tehty"

Rough translation:
Everything you do is already done, everything you see is already seen
Everything you touch has many hands already touched upon
But not with your hands, but not with your eyes
But not within you before you have done it self


Hello gentlemen,

Too often during my studies I found myself fallen into a tunnel of duties and erred into a list of must-do things, being unable to see anything around me. Only thinking about how I can pass some exams, write some papers, clean a room, fix a bike, keep my body and head in shape. Running from a goal to a next goal eyes closed. Being always late from something. Stressing about things I hadn't done rather than enjoying things I did.

Now when I am done with my degree, it's time to do something for this grievance.

The citation above tells something about that attempt, trial, project or a new age of my life, I have named as Exploring the World Around, or shortly just EtWA. This blog is an essential part of EtWA. In this blog I am going to tell what I see, do and speculate what have I learned. Exploring the World Around is not a particular long term plan. It's just a whim. A thought to do something different. An excuse to write a blog with a pursuit, with a goal. The idea is to roam round the world in order to explore the world, which is around us. Eventually hoping to learn something about that what is within us. In a way to learn about life by actively living it. By seeing and doing things. To get into cool places and to do cool things. Not to get entangled for awhile. To rock around the free world. To do things connected to biology, nature and life. Learning more about life and more about how to study it.

This may sound stupid, hippyish or even childish, but in principle almost everything is possible for us, who happened to be born in the rich Western World. I simply wish to utilize this gift a bit. Of course I am not expecting that things are done for me. It's not about a holiday, it's about a pursuit of wisdom, about a learning process. I am ready to work hard for it, if necessary. Laziness is out of question, but I am also ready to enjoy every moment of my journey.

The first step is to take a plane to Bangkok, Thailand. Then I want to head to a tropical paradise island to learn more about diving and animals in the tropical oceans. The plane will depart Helsinki next Wednesday. The journey starts a day before, since I'll visit some old Svalbard friends in the Finnish capital.

Do not expect anything. I used to keep a blog in Finnish, which told about latest, now gone, age of my life. About the time I used to study biology on Svalbard. However, starting to write in English has been almost an overwhelming task. That blog lasted for more than two years, but this blog can be a complete failure. Exploring the World Around lasts as long as it feels right. This blog is mostly aimed for friends and others who know me. Someone, who could possibly be interested to read where I am going, what I am doing and what I see. Since I got interested in photography, I also hope to share some photographs through this application. Word of warning is needed into the end: I'll rape the language as I please, and as only a Finn can. If it annoys you, comments are always welcome. If not, please, feel free to comment anyway.

5 days for departure. Back in the business very soon. Until that: cheers..!


Some links:
Collection of my Svalbard photos
Studying the High Arctic (my old blog in Finnish)

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