Check This Out!

Yeah suckers u wanted it so u r getting it.

What? This blog is dead, but I get a couple of dozens hits daily for reasons I still havent quite figured out. It seems that people from Singapore and Finland are interested in whats happening. You really should think why!

I now could go to CERN, the biggest accelerator ever built, in Geneve Switzerland, to work for the PhD in the data aqusition department and work with the most valuable brains in the whole motherfucking world. Its cool to know where you belong?;) In this pseudo-intelligent society where stupid people try to appear smart while the smart have some freedom to be stupid, it's a tempting opportunity indeed.

Only 'problem' is the other opportunity, a business manager role in an almost equally cool interntnl company and making big buckk-ets. doll-ars.

Quite a choice to make, is it 3 years in Switzerland cycling the Alps and visiting Italy every weekend not forgetting your PhD (those who just don't get it, think I would only go there for the cycling. Those who understand even a bit know I would go there mostly for the cycling. Yes you read it right, idiot.)

And thats really whats happening. I can now go to a research institute where people are seriously putting effort into things like beginnings of the Universe, anti-matter, (Maybe you are not really YOU but ANTI-You?) meaning of life, Big Bang, and things that scienticst have always been fascinated about but which doesnt make much sense to the common people. For 99,99999% of the world's population its fairy tales, for the reamining 0,000001% its pure and real.

Fact is, CERN is opening a new accelerator, bigger than ever seen before, to find among other stuff, the HIGGS particle (HIGGSSIN hiukkanen. When the accelerator will be launched in July 2008, its only a matter og days to find it. This would prove one theory of the beginning of the world right. If it is not found, this would prove the another theory right. It must be some hell of a particle this HIGGS since they have really put some major global effort in finding it. Big is beautiful when you are looking for small he says and builds a 27 kilometer long accelerator before his head goes big bang.

CERN is located between Switzerland and France, and employs more than one third of the physicians in the whole world.

By the way. It was in CERN where the World Wide Web (WWW) was first develeloped. But who gives a shit about somethings so meaningless as WWW. My friend, we are not talking about how much money you make in a month but how this bloody universe works and was born in the first place. Cool placE oR No?

Passport Change

Well eventually my passport was ripped in pieces due to heave use, but before returning it to the police station I took the memories to keep.





Russia 2002, Bangok Thailand 13 Oct 2004 - Sungai Kolok 11 Nov 2004, Malayisa 11 Nov 2004 - Johor Bharu 16 Nov 2004.


Singapore single journey visa 30 Nov 2004, Singapore Employment Pass 30 Nov 2004 - 17 Nov 2006, Singapore multiple journey visa 30 nov 04 - 30 nov 06. Departed to Malaysia 12 Apr 05 and returned 18 Apr 05 (Johor Bhraru).


Russia 2002, Malayisa 16 Nov 2004, Malayisa one day trip to Johor Bhrary 20 March 2005 (formula??).


Malaysia (JB) 21 Jan 05 until 23 Jan 05, again 8 Apr 05 Johor Bharu and then Sarawak the same day until 10 Apr 05. Arrival Hong Kong 20 April 2005 and departure 21 Apr 05. One departure stamp from JB Malaysia on 23 July 2006.


Hong Kong 21 Apr 05, dep 23 Apr 05, Macau 21 Apr 05 return same day, Philippines Dec 27 2005 until Jan 09 2006. Visa on Arrival to Indonesia (Bali, Ingurahrai)


Malaysia 10 Aug 2005 arrival and departure, Arrival on Brunei Darussalam 10 Apr 2005 until 12 Apr 2005. Visa to Brunei Darussalam on the right.


Thailand 3-8 oct 2005, Malaysia 20 Nov 2005 1-day visit. Next page Krabi Thailand 21-26 dec 2005, Phuket 25 - 31 aug 2006, and Johor Bharu Malayisa 16-23 June 2006.


Visa on arrival to Indonesia (Padang Sumatra, Minangkabau). Landing permission to Japan valid from 4 march to 2 june 2006, departed Tokyo Japan 15 March 2006. Malaysia 25 Sep - 30 Sep 2006.


Malaysia 21 - 24 Oct 2006 (I don't remember what are all these Malayisan trips about, have to check the blog for that. Usually weekend trips to Tioman, Perenthians etc for diving, shopping trips to JB and Formula / A1 trips to Sepang Circuit). Arrival on Indonesia Tanjung Pinang (Bintam, Batam close to Singapore) on 28 Jul 2006 until 30 Jul 2006. Indonesian Visa on the right.


Returned to employment pass in Singapore and got a remaining permission stamp until 30 nov 2006 - not that I wanted to remain a second longer than any more necessary. Departed Singapore 16th Nov 2006. Philippines arrival 30 Oct 2006 until 09 Nov 2006. Phuket Thailand 16 Nov 06, departed in Kanong the 24th Nov to Kaw Thaung in Myanmar (Burma), retrn to Thailand the same day 24 Nov and departed 27 Nov 2006.


1 month Visa to China, note how month is before date. Arrival 30.11. and departure 11.12 (11th December).


Visa to Laos, arrival 27 nov departed to China 30 nov 2006.


Transit Visa to Russia, from the Peking Embassy, valid until 18 Dec 2006 - the day when I reached Lappeenranta Finalnd after being away nearly 2 and a half years.


Pages 32-37 remained empty, but one more stamp was mistakenly put here on page 38. Arrival to Hanoi Vietnam 15 Oct 2005, Departure Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) on the 26th Oct 2005.

Thank you.

From above 30 to below 30 degrees

Ok, this blog is obviously had it, this is now officially dead! Asia Experience is over, now it's good old Europe again.

Since I see many students still visiting here occasionally, I just wanna say hello to everyone. It was great to see Singapore and do something my peers definately have not. Wishing you all the best !

Here some pictures from Lappeenranta, this is where I grew up ! Check it out : http://www.designcowboys.net/kuvat/lpr/. (probably boring for the Finnish readers)



Great adventures for everyone and keep on rocking!

The Top Cities in SE Asia

And then the top cities in SE Asia

• Biggest : Beijing. An obvious choice, the scale of this city is Massive. The central Tianamen Square is bigger than any other central square I have ever seen. Here you will find a nice mix of modern shopping centers and old school barracks, cheap shopping and cool clubs. China is developing it's turbulent future with such a high pace one wanders if anyone can keep control anymore. The only priority here is to catch up with the western economics and no-one seems to give a damn what about any environmental issues, human rights or basically anything that would slow down the current economical growth. Olympics however bring good vibe to this place.
  
• Safest : Singapore. Here you can walk 3AM sunday morning in the middle of the city and nothing will happen even if you were a single woman who has passed out in a central park. It's great but damn nothing will happen here even if it's friday night 11 pm and you are in the hottest nightclub. Living in fear is no life worth living.
  
• Cleanest : Singapore. Singapore is like a sientific experiement where extremem punishment and control is believed to make everyone happy. Much like in Orwell's book 1984, totalitarism, one party rule, cencorship of media and press and even dictatorship are common day issues here. As a result the place appears spotless and is the cleanest big city this world will ever see. There is some crazy shit going on here - a guy was recently put in jail (literally behind bars) for using someones unprotected WLAN ! The criminals faces are also published in the the daily newspaper. (At the time of writing a pedophile is being sentenced for just 3 and a half years in Finland for molesting 24 (!!!) boys 13-16 years that he lured from the internet. Goddamnit! In Singapore he would be sentenced top death with no doubt. You´wouldn't miss him!)
  
• Most developed : Tokyo. Tokyo is top class not just in Asian but in global standards. This place has it all, whether is top notch architecture, restaurants, urban development or fashion that you are looking for. It is supercool, but loses to Singapore in greenery. You can count the trees in this city with one hand's fingers.
  
• Best Climate : Vientiane. This is a tough one to choose, but Vientiane can not go too wrong. Here the climate is ideal, never too swaety, humd or hot, but comfortably warm with slightly chilly but never cold winter nights. Apart from natural climate, also the atmosphere or climate created by the Lao people is second to none. It really is one of my all time favourites in all Asia for chilling out and relaxing your AD HD brain, shizophrenia, paranoia and other hyperactive mental diseases.
  
• Worst Climate : Singapore. Not only do the locals live in climate of fear but this place is so hot that you will literally melt your balls off even if you do nothing but relax on your bed. A slight wind would help but there is none. A slight change in seasons would help but there is none. A slight change in the political intelligence would help but, well, there is none to start with.
  
• Most boring : BBB, Brunei Darussalam. This city is the sleepiest capital in the whole world. When we asked the hotel reception 10PM on Saturday night what we could do, we were given three choices: a) you can go to the cinema b) you can go and watch people fishing c) you can go and eat in a restaurant which is still open. Goddamn!
  
• Hottest girls : Tokyo. Here your balls will melt for a very different reason that what I previously mentioned. Jap chics make walking the Tokyo streets a pure extacy making you want to stay forever.
  
• Craziest Traffic : Bangok. Anyone surviving Bangok without permanent injuries deserves a medal. TukTuks, mopeds, cars and trucks roar for the control of these savage streets like it was the Judge Dredd science fiction comicbook. Insanity is not an option, it a necessity to survive.
  
• Highest Crime rate : Manila. Same can be said from Manila where more people are shot in a day that in Singapore in a year. If you want to enjoy your days peacefully I recommend not to read the local newspaper where first five pages - every day - are filled with reports on who was shot by who and where and how many died. If you consider a career in a street gang warfare Manila is your choice. Dude don't you just love the filipinos!
  
• Most hilarious politics : Singapore. Reading the Singapore Straits is really an hilarious issue, especially if you have an option to read the same news from any other newspaper (unfortunately the locals rarely have this option) which donät have their articles cencored by the editor in chief - an ex commander of navy in this case. Any country ruled by a one party government should have your alarm bells ringing. Of course you can have the freedom to speak but let me just cut your throat first.
  
• Most insane in general : Bangok. It's nuts, itäs sad, it's real. Poor farmers sell their daughters for a prize of couple of big mac meals to work in Bangok in the dirtiest jobs. But on the positive side I never saw any child prostitution around - it doesn't mean it would not exist but it means it at least is not widely accepted practice. In this insanenst of cities that must be considered as a pleasant surprise.
  
• Coolest people : Manila. 'Filipinos have strong sense who they are' said my filipino boss who recruited me to Singapore in the first place. Indeed, they have a strong latin-american influence promoting individualism and personal ambition, characteristics that got you executed in China still 20 years ago. That's why filipinos get always more medals than all the rest combined in the Asian games!
  
• Most crowded : Kuala Lumpur. I donät know if KL is the most crowded, for heavens skae there are cities like Manila, Tokyo, Hanoi which are all crowded, but I had to mention this twin tower city somewhere. Besides here you feel the crowd since they will bounce onto you like a real friday-night-drunk in any nightclub in Eastern Finland.
  
• Easiest for westenrers : Singapore. It can be even dangerously comfortable. While singaporen chinese are busy trying to humilate all the other races living in Singapore they are a bit confused how to react with westerners. Besides they think speaking English is high class. Life can get dangerously comfortable here.
  
• Greenest : Singapore. By far the best thing in Singapore is the amazing greenery that is all around. While places like London or New York are basically huge cities where parks exist and can be huge and beautiful indeed, the whole Singapore seems like a park. Well kept trees and bushes are all around and even natural rainforest still exist in few places with original fiona and fauna. This is where you see skyscrapers in the green jungle, not just a few palmtrees in urban jungle.
  
• Most expensive : Tokyo. You would just love to have that Porsche but pay for a 89 Fiat wouldn't you! But the society just doesnät work that way. If you want cool stuff, you pay for cool stuff...
  
• Best value for money : Beijing ...or then you can go to Beijing. Maybe it's not as cool as Tokyo but here you get better value for money that anywhere else - requiring you are willing to spend about five minutes bargaining during buying each item. It's ridicilously cheap (unless you get scammed) but I wander what happens after the 2008 olympics - after which nothing will be the same, so get your arse there now!
  
• Lowest income tax : BBB, Brunei Darussalam. Excuse me, but what is income tax? Not only dont the citizens pay ANY tax (not that it was that high in Singapore either where I payed 4%) but also do the citizens get free healthcare (not in Singapore or any other non taxed countires), free education, susidized land (!), house (!) and car (!) from the government. It's indeed the land of the black gold! To apply for the citizenship kill yourself and reincarnate in Brunei - only by being born in the country will get you the citizenship.
  
• Most character : Hanoi. Spending time in the french quarters in this truly buzzling capital filled with national pride after the American war combined with the current economical frowth and the recent membership in the WTO is superb stuff. Quite funnily pirated items such as cd's or videos are not hidden in some underground shops but are openly sold in the main shops! Food here is great, but think twice before accepting the opium offered you by the hotel staff, be careful of scams or the insane mopo drivers, and enjoy the last capital in the world where you will never find McDonald's!
  

Lappeenranta, Finland

I've finally reached the most exciting destination of them all, a small town Lappeenranta by the Russian border - the better side of it. It was a real crack to arrive home after not seeing my family for more than two years. It praises the old wisdom : All travelling is meaningless if you have no place to return.

Moscow was really a beautiful city, Old Arbat street where we stayed offers some of the finest walks and talks. Hats of for Sweet Moscow (no it was not a brothel) for making this location affordable for anyone. After South-East Asia Moscow felt like home even I had never been there before. Kremlin and the Red Square are must, way smoother even though smaller than the Tianamen in Beijing. And less scams. Eventually we ended up driving around the city with the Russian ambassdor (in Georgia) who was showing us all that you needed to know about this fastly westernising city. Later we went clubbing with his two daughters!

After two nights in Moscow, the 8 hour night train takes you to St. Petersbourgh. After Siberia failed to fulfill expectations of real winter, here I didn't get disappointed. On the way thw whole landscape was filled with snow, and the city had obviously gottten it's share as well with people sliding and falling around. After all the journeys it was here where the Vibram Hanwags really served a purpose.

These days we were travelling with a bunch that met in the transsiberian. It was an interesting mix, with a cheerful Irishman (who was always cracking jokes about this and that, especially about the frenchman), a skinnier than shadow Swedish girl (who had left home at 57kg, travelled two years and returning as stunningly anorectic 40kg - must have been those lonely trips to Iran and Pakistan that killed her apetite), a 27 old German PhD grauate (who had been in China for just seven months and was having fluent (at least long) conversations with the chinese folks) and dummer than life frenchman (who was such a snob that he was eventually ignored by anyone who spent more than 3 minutes speaking to him) and a bearded Australian who passionately returns to Russia time after another and even looked like a Russian himself. This was the family for the week, when you travel the random people become your best friends for a week before everyone moves on. That must be one of the things that makes travelling so attractive, it allows more honest and spontanious interactions than 'normal' life and gives the the purest sense of your surroundings and living in the moment.

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create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

North America : US, Canada
Central America and the Caribbean : Cayman islands
South America : -
Africa : -
Europe : Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City.
Middle East: -
Asia: Brunei, China (plus Hong Kong & Macau), Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
Australia and Pacific : -

That's just 17% of the world's countries, I don't think I'm just done yet!

Top 50 things to do in South East Asia, part 5/5

Since the journey has come to an end, I can finish off the top 50 list one should do in SEAsia, as an addition to the 40 mentioned in pervious posts:

• Drive a motorbike without brakes in Phuket, Thailand If you thought biking is a thrilling hobby, just try it without brakes.
  
• Lay your arse on the Perenthians, Malaysia This is one of the top spots of the country, not yet spoiled by tourims but truly stunning for the outdoor type of ya.
  
• Hike the rainforests in Burma Always better when dodging the guerilla bullets. Like Singapore, also Burma is run by the military governemnt. But Burmese as well as Maleysian national parks still host wild tigers and even rhinos. It ain't a zoo, baby. Required equipment: good hiking shoes, clean water, compass, first aid kit, AK 47.
  
• Dive the Pescador Island and the Tresher Sharks in Malapasque, Cebu, Philippines. Philippines is one of the top spots in the region. The people boast rich Spanish influenced, very energetic and and proud individual & unique culture. Itäs full of good, but if you are into diving do not miss the Pescador island at Mualbual with superb dropoffs, muckdives, seafan gardens and corals. If you get your kicks from the big stuff, head north to Malapasque where - if you are lucky - you can spot thresher sharks, japanese wrecks, and manta shrimps or even a mimic octapus! Erection guaranteed.
  
• Tom Yam Gung, Udon Thani Northern Thailand has not beaches, therefore it has only a small amount of tourism. This is where the Thai life and food can be explored at it's purest. Tom Yam Gung is a spicy local delicasy with mushroom, prawns, onions, lemon juice and ginger, bloody hell how simple stuff can taste good i a travller´s mouth! Superb, even more so when delivered by never-seen-a-whie-man-before type.
  
• Luang Prabang, Laos This town surrounded by amazing scenery (take a bus from Vientiane and you´ll be glued tot he window) can't leave anyone cold. Luang Prabang is the jewel of Indochina, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. The ancient royal city is surrounded by mountains at the junction of the Mekong and its tributary the Khan river. In the centre of the city is Mount Phousi with stunning views of the surrounding temples and hills. Luang Prabang is a city where time seems to stand still. Cruising the Mekong river adds this one up high in the top list.
  
• Spend 36 hours ina bus trying to dodge chinese spit and vomit The Lao people must be one of the kindest in all of Asia, but the same can hardly be said from their northern neighbor. God knows why but the chinese seem to think spitting every five seconds is cool. I also used to think so when I was 8 years old. It really doesnät make a difference if you are in a bus, a restaurant or a street, spitting and vomiting to the floor is great fun. At least they think so. (No, it's not fun, it's bloody disguisting, goddamn everything they do is disguisting!)
  
• Wander the old streets of Beijing, China Old streets of Beijing is really where the time stands still as well. Buzzling street life and numerous sweatshops, noodlehouses, restaurants, teahouses, itäs great crack to see, taste and smell for a couple of days. Beijing is really developing like there is no tomorrow, so it's good to see that some places are beyond the reach of the olympic craze even here. For me, China is a huge contradiction. At times you love it, at times you hate it. It really has it all. Quite interestingly, it´s a lively and active place now when people are slowly opening up and getting beyond of the rule of Mao and other jackasses who've been executing millions of people with slightest of excuses.
  
• Take the Trans-Siberian train Books have been written from this journey alone, I am not trying to cover it all, but it definately is the mother of all train journeys.
  
• The Top #1 to do in South-East Asia: Go home! Travelling this region has been truly awesome, but now it's to end this era and start a new chapter. Thanks for reading!
  

The Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing to Moscow

Allright, finally arrived to Moscow. It feels like home after all the stuff in the tropics, even I've never been here before. Absolutely fascinating and vibrant city.

The train-trip is hell of a trip, six days gives you lot of time to take it easy. Lake Baikal is the definately the highlight of the trip, apart of that the southern Siberia is surprisingluy flat. At some point when the pinetrees hit the scene you really realise that you are going home!

There were a few places that would have been worth of longer visits, Baikal, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk and the Ural mountains to say the least. This time we just rushed through, not that I had a problem with that.

In Moscow I had a pleasure to punch a chinese guy to the face. Leaving the unnatural safety of Singapore behind, you have to keep your senses awake in Moscow. In the underground packed with people, there is a poor china fellow with his hand in my pocket grabbing my wallet a good way through. Without thinking much I deliver
right straight in his face. His leggs vobbling he leaves the train in the next stop leaving the rest of us pumped with adrenaline and the rest of the passangers looking me like I was a madman. But hey, this was no more China, it was Russia, and I knew the rules in this part of the world for sure!

Tomorrow St. Petersburg, then Helsinki, now the hell out of here write again later.

The best band in Novotsibirsk

Ok, it's been a week in Beijing, the visas are finally sorted out and it's time to make a move. Beijing has been indeed interesting, you find pretty much anything you can imagine from dog meat in restaurants to teahouses offering "quality" tea for 200 USD for stupoid tourists ready to be scammed.

There are three common scams that people should be aware of: the art gallery scam, the teahouse scam and the KTV scam. They all start in similiar manner, a couple of young students, usually girls, approach you and ask if they can practice their English with you. Eventually they ask you to come to look some art in their gallery, and then ask you to buy them for ridiculous prices. This is easy to escape, but in a teahouse scam people act like they'd be intereted in your stories and take you to some traditional teahouse. Fortunately I was already aware of the scam and disappointed my English language partners by saying that I want to know all the prices beforehands and would be a selfish bastard paying only my portion. Indeed a menu was brought up showing some ridiciulous tea's being sold for 1600 yang (150 euro) a cup and more. One poor finnish guy was taken to such place, where everyone - including locals - had to pay 500 y for the tea. A bit deeper investigation reveals that the locals, when bringing dumbasses to the teahouse, will get all their own money back plus 70% whatever you paid. Last one is the KTV scan where local girls invite you for Karaoke. This is of course most obvious to avoid. It will be interesting to see how much "art", "tea" and "karaoke" will be sold during the coming olympic games.

There is also a huge Russian poulation in Beijing, coming up with pretty decent night clubs. We even had a possibility to listen to some band which claimed to be the best in Novosibirsk. No doubt it is.

Karaoke scams remind me of the cheapest prostitue in the world which had to be in Vientiane, Laos. I was returning to my hotel when a transvestite stops with his/her scooter and asked if I wanted shag him for ten bucks. I said I wouldn't shag him even if he gave me a thousand bucks, and continued walking slightly amused. So the price drops to five bucks and eventually to 2 bucks. Please!!!!!!!!

But hats off for the Russian embassy in Beijing which have acted in a very unbyrochratic way and provided me with a visa out of office hours, with only a half of the required documenbts present, to a nearly broken passport and all with a very decent price.

So the Trans Manchurian train leaves today and it's my last day in Beijing. Surely I'd have preferred the Trans Mongolian railway, which would've left earlier, been faster and cheaper and given be a chance to see Mongolia. But I couldn't get the visas in time and am forced to take the trans manchurian route. It's gonna be six days and more than 9000 kilometers in train. It's the least popular route among travellers (the others being the transmongolian and transsiberian) therefore I'm not expecting see hardly any other travellers but locals.



But instead I'm expecting some extrreme temperatures. If it won't get below -20 I'll demand my money back. There is a good chance for some -30/40, the coldest ever temperature recorded on earth has been in Vostok, Antartica in 1983 : -89,2 degrees celcius, and if Antarctice is excluded there has been various recors of temperatures below 70 celcius in Siberia. Thumbs up! If I don't freeze or bore to death I'd be in Moscow the 15th and Helsinki the 16th of December.

Since my Asia Experience is coming to and end, here is a draft on a very subjective city list:

Biggest : Beijing
Safest : Singapore
Cleanest : Singapore
Most developed : Tokyo
Best Climate : Vientiane
Worst Climate : Singapore
Most boring : BBB, Brunei Darussalam
Hottest girls : Tokyo
Craziest Traffic : Bangok
Highest Crime rate : Manila
Most hilarious politics : Singapore
Most insane in general : Bangok
Coolest people : Manila
Most crowded : Kuala Lumpur
Easiest for westenrers : Singapore
Most expensive : Tokyo
Best value for money : Beijing
Lowest income tax : BBB, Brunei Darussalam

Might finish this off some day.