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A Deadly Nightly Hazard

Malaria mosquitoes are active at night. Some people told us that the dangerous time begins at 8pm, others talked about 10pm. We went to bed at sunset around 7pm and woke up around 5am at sunrise. At night, the most common way to protect yourself is to sleep under a mosquito net. The net is hanged from a hook in the ceiling. We had a few times some very well fed mosquitoes inside the net. The first one was hiding under the bed when we lowered the net and the second time happened when there was a dog sleeping in the same room. In the middle of the night, she jumped to our bed opening the net for unwanted visitors. It can become quite hot inside the net as it also hinders air flow and blocks the effect of a fan.

Another option is to use insect poison to kill mosquitoes. There are devices spreading poison all night long. All you have to do is to remember to refill the poison liquid, or change the poison pad, and plug the device. This means that also you will be inhaling the poison. The room has to be relatively air tight and there shouldn't be any screens on the windows. Otherwise the poison will flow out without expected effect.

The last night in Africa we stayed in Jollyboys' Backpackers Hostel in Livingstone, Zambia (see the photo). It was the rainy season meaning also mosquito high season in one of the worst malaria areas in Africa. We were quite surprised to see that in our dormitory of sixteen people we were the only ones having a net, which we had to go and buy by ourselves because the hostel offered none, nor spraying or any other protective measures.

Medication benefits only the drug factories

From what we learned from Africans we met, the malaria has resistance to the drugs taken in advance that medicine factories eagerly promote in Europe. That's why we decided not to take anything. In the best case, we would have gotten a false feeling of security and in the worst some nasty side-effects. Folklore is also suggesting that eating a lot of raw garlic helps to keep mosquitoes away. We did that, too, as we love raw garlic, but the only definitive reaction we received was empty seats around us in buses and aeroplanes.

There is no way to predict the malaria risk. We met many people who had lived decades in Africa without medication and had never had malaria, so there seems to be hope. But on the other hand, we also met people who only stayed in Africa for a couple of weeks and got sick right away. If you want to be on the safe side, it is perhaps best not to travel to malaria areas at all. Trying to avoid mosquitoes is quite stressing and no matter how careful you are, some of them will anyway bite you.

A few weeks a go we got an e-mail from a fellow urban nomad who had read the Finnish book offering to do the English revision. Now face-lift is ready, language revised, and the book has a new, typographically fixed layout. La Habanera—The Escape From The Rat Race 4th Edition is hereby published in our new electronic library.

A Trip To Memory Lane

When we were proof-reading the draft the content felt still valid. A few things have changed: we are no longer smoking, drinking, devouring flesh, committing gluttony, or visiting cafés and restaurants. We also prefer walking instead of using motorized vehicles. Everything else is pretty much the same. Reading the old text was a trip to memory lane luring us to visit La Habanera and Brazil once again.

La Habanera has also been translated into Hebrew by Noam. So far the book has attracted hundreds of thousands of readers and it is the most popular book we have written. We would like to thank everyone who has volunteered to help, Tomi for making the English language revision and everyone who have sent us feedback about the book or read it. Thank you so much for your support and please let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

After two months' touring we understood that travelling, working and living in Africa is motivated by three things: it is a way to relieve guilt, an opportunity to gaze at wild animals or to get kudos as a seasoned traveller.

The possible dangers of travelling in Africa were discussed every time when we saw other travellers and locals. Here and there you will be mugged, might get malaria, or meet natives practising cannibalism. When returning from Africa, these same fearsome travellers become heroes in the eyes of others.

You Have Everything—We Have Nothing

One of most vexing things for us in the East and South Africa was the relationship between white and black people, or the rich and the poor. A common presumption is that all whites are wealthy and they come to Africa just to share their money with locals. This mentality applies to all interaction including begging, selling, renting, transportation, and robbing. According to African logic, the rich should have a bad conscience for having materially so much more than the poor. Besides, white people belong to the bad Colonialist race and must pay for their heritage. If you resist, things get complicated, and even if you give something to locals, you mustn't expect any gratitude. You are just doing what you are supposed to do, fulfilling your part of the deal.

We encountered racism towards white people and tourists for the first time in Brazil in the beginning of our trip. Beggars approached us demanding a cigarette or some money on the grounds of our race and status as travellers. We didn't give them anything nor did we do any spontaneous charity or volunteering in Africa. We are not compassionate enough to be thankful for being hassled.

The mentality was ever present and annoying. When getting approached by a gang of bad-smelling and dirty hawkers trying to touch us and staring at us angrily, someone less courageous might have interpreted their marketing effort to be a threatening situation or even a robbery, and given up his or her valuables to avoid further inconvenience. This was a very common situation in the areas where we travelled. People were more aggressive in the touristy places which always attract fortune-seekers. South Africa and the capital of Botswana were a bit different because they are more developed, but on the other hand the price level was even higher than in the neighbouring countries and value lower. In a world-wide scale, Africa is the low-value-leader while Asia is its high-value opposite.

If you don't have riches or a guilty conscience, you might feel sick and tired after travelling a while in Africa. The greed and open exploitation was far more prominent in East Africa than in any other country we have visited. But for the sake of fairness, it is important to realize that it is—to some extent—part of the tourist scene everywhere in the world.

Volunteers, Charities And Missionaries

Many people travel to Africa to show off how great and caring they are. They become volunteers or start a charity to help and spread the Western gospel of consumerism to ignorant natives just like missionaries did in the old days. Having a nice car and a mobile phone seem to be strict necessities for Africans even if they live in a house build from cow dung and without running water. Polluting is in today's world a privilege and it defines your value as a human being. The more you buy, the better person you become.

Donating to the poor relieves guilt. It works the same way as giving money to a church. If you sin, you pay, and after the remission you are free to sin again. However, it is far cheaper and less polluting to get rid of your sins by going to a local church or to get an appointment with a psychologist than travelling to Africa.

Volunteering and charities continue the traditions of colonialism and slavery. Westerners think that as we come from the civilised world, we know everything better and must educate ignorant locals. It is also called patronising. In its worst form it makes locals objects and positions them as children who must listen quietly and obey. A curious detail is that the majority of travellers we saw were white women. Is the reason nurturing instinct?

Pestering Animals in Safari

Animal watching is another popular reason for a trip to Africa. Having photos with wild beasts on the background proves that you are not afraid. Travellers are naturally happy to pay safari organizers a lot to make sure that they are not in real danger because in fact they are afraid. Isn't this a strange way to demonstrate courage? We managed to see many wild animals just walking around and travelling by bus. We spotted monkeys, crocodiles, camels, zebras, rhinos, a giraffe and many other animals without chasing them.

If you really want to pester animals, you can do it easier in a local zoo. There the pitiful means of money-making are stuffed into small cells so that tourists can easily take photos. In Africa, you need to hire a driver to pursue the poor animals and corner them for photo shooting. For us, game parks, national parks and reserves are nothing but zoos, and Africans proved to be passionate animal-lovers only when they were making money. We saw many times locals throwing stones at stray dogs just for fun.

No Thanks To The Guilt And Zoo

Our original thought was to stop on the way and rent a flat for finishing our newest manuscript. We tried and failed. After that, we didn't find any suitable place with necessary facilities and at affordable price. For us mzungus, Africa is surprisingly dear, even more expensive than Europe except that we don't get any value for our money. What good is air-conditioning, hot water, fridge and TV if you don't have electricity?

After two months' touring, we were relieved of the puzzle of the fascination of Africa and also the compulsion to stay around any longer. We took a turn to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to ponder our experiences, finish writing the manuscript and enjoy life. We might return to Africa later to explore the West and the North about which we have heard—once again—so many good things.

Grey And Developed Gaborone

The Intercape Mainliner was half empty when we boarded from Johannesburg. The trip went smoothly in a Western-style bus through northern countryside. The border formalities were quickly done and cost us nothing. The citizens of the European Union get a lavish 90-day entry permit.

Arriving to Gaborone included some hassle. The workers of the bus company offered to call taxis to take passengers to hotels. According to them, there were no hotels near the bus stop and it was dangerous to walk downtown at night. As we don't like taxis, we kindly turned down the offer and decided to have a look at the city ourselves.

In the bus stop one fellow passenger, a young Botswanan woman clinged on us asking for help. She said she was afraid of going around alone and asked if she could follow us. Soon she started to ask for money for taxi and tried to borrow our non-existent phone. We got rid of her, and after that found out that there was a hotel right around the corner, though an expensive one (80€). We found a more reasonably priced option with the help of local police. Still it was expensive, 45€, and included facilities we didn't use like satellite TV, fridge, air-con, hot water, telephone, and wifi. We just wanted to sleep but as it was raining and we were pretty tired, we stayed.

Later we found out that Gaborone lacks budget accommodation just like the rest of Africa. This little city of 500 000 inhabitants is built mainly for administration and business. It is pretty dull for sightseeing and the main attraction are the parliament houses.

The weather in Gaborone was chilly and rainy although it was summertime—much like in Europe. We wanted to continue onwards as soon as possible and with as few stops as possible because every stop in Africa means a lot of hassle: lurking pickpockets, touts, and hawkers. We bought tickets straight to Livingstone in Zambia with Gaborone-Lusaka Express which took off the same evening.

A Hurryless Express Bus

This time the bus was considerably downgraded. The seats were cramped: three seats on the one side, two seats the other. Also the roads started to deteriorate. It was raining the whole way and the bus was hydroplaning as the tires were in less than perfect condition. Inside was chilly and sweaty because of humidity. People were sneezing and coughing and of course we got a flu afterwards, too.

Despite the company's name “Gaborone-Lusaka Express”, the bus stopped in every little village and even in the middle of nowhere to let people out or to the toilet. The worst delay was in the border, though. First we waited for the border to open and after that for the next bus to arrive as there was another bus for the Zambian side. This took four hours after which we waited for the ferry to cross Zambesi River.

Livingstone Tourist Heaven

Our destination, the city of Livingstone was a one-hour-drive away from the Kazungula border. It was touristy because of nearby Victoria Falls that attract bungy jumpers and other fearless adventurers.

The small city centre is full of backpacker places, hotels and motels. We hadn't seen so many tourists on our trip - not even in Diani Beach in Kenya. Fortunately we could escape the rush to the countryside some twenty kilometres away from the city. We stayed in Crocodile Creek's peace and quiet sitting in the outside lounge and watching crocodiles to swim by. Quite a paradise and a perfect ending for our East and South Africa tour.

Tazara Train

The Tazara train station is five kilometres away from the city centre. We went there early in the morning to buy the tickets right after getting the visas. There was already a queue at 7 am. The ticket sales counter opened officially at 7:30 am and in reality at 8:00 am when the salesperson finally arrived.

Unfortunately there were no tickets available as the train was broken—or fully booked as they explained the situation. The next available train would have been 1,5 weeks later. We couldn't wait because of our short Tanzanian transit visas. Moreover, we had already walked around Dar es Salaam so many times that there was nothing more to see.

We rejected the train and shopped around for cheap flights to neighbouring countries. We visited altogether some twenty airline companies and travel agents. The flights to Lusaka, Zambia, were outrageously expensive, almost US 500$ (376€) per person. With that money both of us could have flown to Mumbai.

Bustling Buses

There is obviously not enough competition in flight business in Tanzania to keep prices decent. We decided to visit the bus station and ask their offers, too. That was a hassle. Right after stepping out from Dalladalla, a local minibus, a bunch of hawkers and touts started jumping on us. While we walked past all bus companies, we had a tail of thirty eager bus ticket sellers behind us. Everybody was shouting at the same time: “Where do you want to go?”, “Which company?” We couldn't even hear our own thoughts not to mention that the sellers tried to become too intimate. They were touching us and insisted on shaking hands.

All the offers we got were naturally mzungu prices. We had earlier learned from two Indian guys in the Zambian Embassy that the normal bus fare to Lusaka is 22.500 TSH (12€) per person. For us, however, the price was 85.000 TSH (45€) per person. Maybe they had better buses?

We decided to have a look at the vehicles. In photos, and from a distance, they looked acceptable, but a closer inspection revealed that it was only the outer paint jobs that were well done. The interior was rather absent. Motors, tyres and suspension had seen their better days in the previous millennium. The artificial leather seats without any kind of air-con promised a very sweaty ride of over 20 hours in an overcrowded couch. It was not an option for us.

The Solution

We started searching for cheap flights to Johannesburg thinking that we can more easily move upwards from South Africa where roads and buses are in better condition. This proved to be a good strategy. We found a 144€ flight with Zambesi Airlines with a stop in Lusaka. The price was twice cheaper all the way to Johannesburg than to the first stop in Lusaka. No logic at all as is often the case with airline tickets.

Zambesi Airlines served us well. It would have been even possible to exit in Lusaka but the weather was so rainy and chilly that we decided to go all the way—not to mention the second delicious warm meal waiting on the plane.

Dar es Salaam proved us that the old wisdom about remote and undeveloped places is still valid: “You pay or you stay”.

We came from Mombasa, Kenya, by bus. The ride took nine hours with border formalities. The road was partly potholed rodeo and the driver was speeding the tarmac parts. Once he was passing by a truck and hit a cow damaging the bus and killing the poor animal.

The Must-See Sights In Dar Es Salaam

Dar Es Salaam is easy to walk around with a compass and a free photocopied map available at the official tourist office. We didn't try taxis, but the amount and eagerness of drivers predicted a lot of expensive, unnecessary sighseeing.

One of the city's main tourist attractions is a modest Clock Tower in the heart of the city. It works with solar power and shows four different times. All clocks had stopped. It is therefore advisable to choose carefully the time of arrival so that the clock you want to see will be on time.

Zanzibar is the main tourist attraction in the area. It is particularly famous for Arab architecture, which is— according to us—best experienced in Arabia, not in Africa. We skipped the overly expensive ferry trip and touristy hassle.

Not Cheap But Not Expensive

In Dar Es Salaam, you can get a decent hotel room with a fan, TV and breakfast for 25000 TSh (13 €).
We spent the first night in a 14000-Tsh-hotel and had a mini-safari with bedbugs and other exciting nightly man-eaters. In the morning, we upgraded our accomodation and found a nice hotel in a busy local area where we were the only mzungus, white people.

Taxi drivers went crazy when they saw us and started yelling “Mzungu, mzungu!” There was also mzungu prices in some shops, and some hotels even had separate prices for residents and non-residents like in Russia, one number but in rubles for Russians and dollars for foreigners.

Other similarities with Russia—or the former Soviet Union—were local supermarkets. The first time we went to one of the biggest Tanzanian supermarkets called Shoprite, the lights were dimmed and there was no bread available because of electricity shortage. The shelves had some stuff, but the selection was poor. Still there was a lot of people guarding the precious few goods. Prices were much like in Kenya but obviously too dear for locals. They seemed to do their shopping in the market or in small local kiosks.

The Nose-picking Nation

English is spoken but not as widely as in Kenya. Most of the people speak Swahili and can have trouble understanding English words pronounced in a non-African way. We got by with the help of a map and compass as locals could not always direct us to the right place.

Dar es Salaam does not feel like a really African city except in one thing: public nose-picking. We have not seen such a dedication to this sport anywhere else in the world. Even the kitchen maid was practising it while putting our two breakfast bread slices to a plate.

Our journey continues. More news coming soon—stay tuned.

Many have lost their jobs, working hours have been cut, and salaries are paid late if at all. Corruption is as wide-spread as in Finland, but not so cleverly hidden. Better off are those who know people in strategic positions and can find their way past the enormous queues in hospitals and get good jobs.

Immigrants on Transit

Many young people rely on their parents as there are no job opportunities for those who lack experience. The Greek are skilled in languages but hesitate to move abroad. Family ties are strong like in other Mediterranean countries and keep people sedentary.

There are plenty of illegal immigrants arriving from Afghanistan and Iraq through Turkey and heading towards Italy. The city of Patras is one of the hotspots for the refugees. They try to hide in trucks as Greece is only a transit country on their way to the real EU. We saw many of them trying to get into parked vehicles in front of the port in Patras. Most fail miserably as security measures have been tightened and the Italian side of the border in Brindisi looks like a prison camp with metal detectors, fences, and vehicle scanners.

What will be the future of Greece? Obviously the problems won't be erased in a year or two. In Finland, there was a financial crisis in the 1990's which took almost ten years to overcome. Taxes were raised, and at the same time the public services collapsed. After the crisis the country was clearly divided in two: the rich who could afford private services and the poor who were put into eternal queues.

There are also other countries in similar conditions waiting for discovery. It is a self-deception to think that any of these crisis could be solved by donating more tax-payers' money. The issues are on a structural level and in people's attitudes. The whole political system would have to be fixed first.

A Few Practical Tips For Travelling In Greece

We enjoyed Greek markets where you can find lots of good quality fruits and veggies for a good price. Supermarkets, on the other hand, are outrageously expensive. For example olive oil begins from 4€/l whereas in Italy you get a litre with a bit over 2€. Both countries produce olive oil. The general price level was a surprise, especially as the wages are very low. A normal salary for people having already worked a few years can be 1000€/month while the minimum salary is 528€.

The distances are not great but it is a good idea to take time for travelling. Public transportation is slow and always late. Athens is a natural starting point for any travel in Greece, but the city is busy, ugly, and polluted. The islands offer visitors more beauty and nature. In fact, you don't have to go further than Kalamata on the island of Peloponnesos. There you have heaps of beautiful beaches, sunshine and cleaner air.

Reading maps with Greek signs can be challenging. There are many ways of translittering the Greek street names so for example Google maps does not necessarily recognize the word you typed in. The Greek letters are similar to Russian, and also some other similarities between the countries can be found such as corruption, people smoking a lot, and an undeveloped toilet culture. Toilet papers are put into a special rubbish bin as toilets get easily stuck.

Bear in mind that credit cards and bank cards are not widely accepted. Even if there is a card reader, it won't probably accept international cards except maybe in some up-scale shops and airline companies. Another curiosity is that banks exchange currency for their own customers only. Tourists should do their exchange in special exchange offices offering worse rates.

We enjoyed our stay but our mind was already a bit elsewhere — in our next destination, East-Africa. We stayed almost three years in Europe enjoying visa-free living, potable tap water and predictable cultures. Although weather was much better in Greece than in Sicily, the cold and damp winters are no longer our cup of tea, and the excessive predictability becomes boring.

These striking similarities drew our attention right after arriving in Italy and they still feel the same after one year when leaving Italy. Despite the evident problems, we enjoyed the country a lot and ended up staying a whole year in Sicily in the two corners of the island, in Trapani and Messina.

East versus West Sicily

Trapani is more touristy than Messina. Thanks to this, the city has a bit better trash handling system, a cleaner look, and a smaller rat population. In Messina, we often spotted rats on our evening and early morning walks.

Cars are very important everywhere in Sicily and traffic is chaotic. Even the shortest distances required motored transportation. When jogging, sometimes cars seemed downright decided to hit us. The worst times were early Sunday mornings, when roads were crowded by drunk drivers.

In Sicily, cars are needed not only for moving around, but also for having sex. When walking on the beach we were wondering why there was always so many cars around, especially on lunch break. Soon we realised that secret lovers drove to the beach to enjoy each other's company in privacy. In Italian family houses there is seldom such luxury available.

North versus South Europe

Vertical differences are more visible than horizontal. The difference between South and North Europeans can be summarized in the dichotomy proactive versus reactive.

North-Europeans live for the future. They work hard, plan, save, and make investments for a better future. They make regular checks on their house to see that everything is working, and repair the things that can possibly cause harm sooner or later. In Finland, there is a saying that it is no use wiping your ass when the shit already happened. People think it is always better to prepare oneself for different kind of situations well in advance.

Italy is the opposite. Their saying is: "Non ti bagnare prima che piova", Don't get wet before it rains. They live more in the present moment and only care about the problems that are visible and cause substantial harm. Money is spent whenever one has some, and if a pipe is leaking in the house, a temporary solution is figured out instead of a big, costly renovation. This usually costs more in the long run, but who cares?

We knew the Latino mentality after spending a year in Argentina so we were prepared and did not get as frustrated as in Buenos Aires. Moreover, compared to their Southern American relatives, the Italians have more honour. If they fail to keep their promises, they are at least a bit ashamed about it.

Guilt is an essential part of Italian culture although people seem very careless and easy-going. The Catholic church makes society conservative and burdens people with guilt. The Italians feel guilty about not taking enough care of their parents or children, not being successful in life, not having a job. This guilt is naturally important for the church, because it makes people give them money for relieving guilt.

Summary

We enjoyed Sicily for many things. The best were of course the Sicilians themselves who appreciate foreigners coming to the island. Locals do not judge you by your appearance nor do they refuse to serve you if you don't speak Italian. English is not widely spoken but you will always get by anyhow. It is all about good will and mutual trust.

Another thing we liked a lot was the abundance of berries and fruits. We got to eat lots of blackberries, mulberries, prickly pears, chestnuts, strawberry tree berries (arbousier), figues, oranges, mandarins, apples. In Trapani we also had good time with stray dogs and in Messina we were dog-sitting Olive.

We decided to move on as Sicily already felt a bit too familiar. A change was needed. Happy travels and hope to see you around!

Earlier wedding anniversaries:

• 2009 in lake Garda, Italy
  
• 2008 We got robbed in Spain
  
• 2007 in China
  
• 2006 in Thailand
  
• 2005 in Australia
  
• 2004 our wedding in Finland
  

All laptops, especially when used outdoors or while travelling, gather lots of dust to the cooling fan. Amilo LA 1703 is not an exception. It requires opening the case and cleaning the fan every 2-3 months. During the past months we have also been using a cooling platform with three cooling fans getting power from a USB port. On top of that, most CPU intensive tasks required a large stand-alone cooling fan pointed to the computer. Sometimes even that was not enough. The laptop is optimised for speed over stability.

Computer geeks love to tweak their hardware for squeezing out extra speed by overclocking CPU. Our solution was the opposite. We underclocked the processor by twenty per cent and this solved the overheating problem. When the cooling fan gets older and less efficient, we can compensate by underclocking the processor even more. If your laptop is suffering from similar symptoms, you might want to try Rightmark CPU Clock Utility for reducing speed and thus lowering CPU core temperature. Our next laptop will hopefully work without any cooling fan.

Public transportation, trains and buses, and budget flights are the cheapest way to move around. The more south you travel, the cheaper they become. Hitch hiking can take some time, but it is an excellent way to meet people.

Being a member of hospitality exchange communities makes travelling even cheaper. Hospitality exchange works well in Europe except in Spain where many hosts are males looking for female company. If you ask your host, s/he is probably eager to help you to find a room or a flat for rent for a longer stay.

Drugs Are Dear

Alcohol is relatively cheap in the south, especially wine in wine producing countries. White and red wine can cost less than US $2 / bottle. However, stronger liquors are more expensive as taxes are usually tied to the alcohol percentage. The more north in Europe you move, the higher price you pay for alcohol. Nordic countries and Finland are the extreme.

Addictions are expensive in Europe, while they are less expensive in, say Asia. Cigarettes have high taxes, the higher the more north you travel. Also coffee costs a lot, especially in coffee shops. The easiest way to cut costs is by stopping to poison yourself. If a cup of coffee in a coffee shop cost the same as two pounds of carrots, you can easily figure out which one keeps you in better going.

Eating And Sleeping

Eating in restaurants and staying in hotels or hostels are the most expensive ways to travel in Europe. A full tourist meal costs easily over US $30 dollars / per person. With the same price you can buy vegetables and fruits for one week. They cost in a local supermarket, e.g. Lidl, under $US 0.5 / pound everywhere in Europe. The same applies to accommodation. One night in a 3-4 star hotel costs almost the same as renting a room for a month. In two years we have only stayed three nights in a hotel, renting flats or rooms most of the time instead.

Basically the same rules applies to all other countries as well. If you want to show off, visit tourist attractions, and be scammed, travelling will be expensive no matter where you go. On the other hand, living in a modest and ecological, sustainable way reduces costs and enables travelling anywhere.

Visas And Winter

We have enjoyed hassle-free life as we don't need visas or living permits in Europe. These meaningless pieces of papers can cost quite a lot of money when travelling, some US $300-500 per year. They also cause a lot of unnecessary and unnecessary travelling, offer unpleasant experiences and cause uncertainty because of the despotism of local officials. This applies to all countries. Our Chinese and Serbian friends have been rudely mistreated by EU countries when applying for visas.

Winter in Europe is far from pleasant and one of the biggest reasons to stay away. In the north, houses are properly heated, but temperature differences inside and outside can be over 70 degrees F. On top of that, the more north you go, the darker it gets. The south is the opposite: there is no heating and houses are built to be cold as hot summer weathers are form a bigger problem for locals than cold winters. Sometimes it can be 32 degrees F inside at night. For outdoor people who like walking, temperature differences are not pleasant not to mention the physical changes winter makes to the body. And think about the amount of polluting energy wasted for heating. On the other hand potable tap water helps to reduce the amount of plastic bottle trash.

All in all, Europe doesn't differ from other travel destinations. By consuming moderately and choosing for less expensive options, you can travel well anywhere in the world. Hope to see you around!

Here are the previous wedding anniversaries:

• 2008 We got robbed in Spain
  
• 2007 in China
  
• 2006 in Thailand
  
• 2005 in Australia
  
• 2004 our wedding in Finland
  

Marseilles is not only soap

We started our Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur tour from Marseilles. Many French people dream of living at least one year in this lively port city. There are a lot of immigrants which is why the city is also called "Ville arabe", Arabic city. Some parts of the city look like bazaars with street markets and rubbish all around. The city is not particularly clean, but it sure is lively.

Marseilles is a sunny city, but when the wind was blowing, we really had to concentrate in keeping our feet on the ground. Nice is different with its own micro climate. It is open to the sea, but protected from the wind by surrounding hills. In general, the climate in the Riviera is mild even in winter. In December some people were taking sunbaths and even swimming when the rest of France was shivering in the cold.

Nice is nice

Marseilles and Nice could not be any different. One is loved by the French and the other by tourists. Nice is considered posh by many French people, but tourists love it, obviously because of its climate. There are lots of flights from all over Europe to the tiny airport.

In Nice we rented an apartment with Päivi's parents. The city is very touristy all year round and does not feel very French at all, in fact, but rather like an Italian city. The famous beach boulevard, Boulevard des Anglais, is perfect for walking or jogging. On Sundays everybody is there to see and be seen.

Public transportation in Nice area is functional. There are frequent bus connections to all neighbouring cities including Monaco and Menton. A single trip costs one euro whatever the distance. Moreover, when going eastwards, there are superb views over the Mediterranean sea. Little towns follow one another and are worth a hop-on-hop-off bus tour. Päivi especially enjoyed Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat, where you can hike around the small peninsula.

Toulon is the Mediterranean base of the French Navy

From Nice we moved on to Toulon where we stayed the following nine months helping our friend Patrice with his renovation work, and writing books. We finished two manuscripts, a thriller called Back door (Takaportti in Finnish) which will come out on the 29th of September and a book on couple relationships called Happy Together (Onnelliset yhdessä) for which we are looking for a publisher if we choose not to publish it ourselves. Both books are in Finnish.

Toulon has a more French feeling to it compared to Nice. Some people think it is not part of the wealthy Riviera despite its geographical location in the area. There are a lot of unemployed people and immigrants from Africa. The city is not snobbish but a perfectly ordinary French city that just happens to be on the Mediterranean coastline. Toulon hosts the French Mediterranean navy with some huge war ships including their crown jewel: the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Doing this and that

We enjoyed daily walks to the nearby mountain, Mont Faron, which is peaceful all year round. The French seem to appreciate more beaches than mountains. There are numerous little paths and roads circulating the mountain so we could select a different route every time. There is also a nice picnic area on top, in a pine tree forest. Cars are the only nuisance. Even when going for a hike, the French have a compulsary need to use their precious tin cans. Apart from walks we had lazy days cooking, washing dishes, watching films, reading and playing computer games.

The weather was sunny most of the year. In winter it sometimes got bitingly cold because of the Mistral wind that is blowing from the The Rhône valley. Springtime was cool and summer warm and dry. There is very little rain, but the wind is quite often strong, sometimes more than 100 km/h, which is rather annoying. Houses are howling and banging because insulation is not particularly well done.

Climate change has effected area which can be seen on the beaches. There are poisonous jellyfish and sometimes swimming is prohibited. Pollution in the city is occasionally quite high, especially on work days when everybody is rushing to work by car. We lived in the city centre and it took a while to get used to the noise and pollution. Now we are heading to discover some smaller cities with a bit less traffic and noise. Perhaps after some more silent times we will long back.