Home.

I decided not to tell anything about my way over to Finland.
It was long and stressful.
Yet had good moments as well.
Felt like a hippie..


I am home now.
My true home.
One cannot believe how good I felt coming to this tiny flat in the middle of Turku.
It felt so easy, I felt almost ashamed.
Ashamed of being, in reality, a westerner, with a place to work at, a  heated apartment in the city, tap water of which warmth you can choose, all this stores with so much stuff in them, and money to buy that stuff.
And what is even luckier, a place to study at. For free.

Now I am enjoying a meal with cuscus, wok-veggies, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, lentils, peas, chicken.
AH, versatility!!!

It will take ages to sort out my pictures and make them public.
As difficult as it is to tell my experiences.
Because I have at least 1200 photos and as many stories.

But hey,

now I am truly happy.

I, know better, to appreciate.

..heaven cont. 22.30 pm

...I almost got to share the bed with the cutest dog ever; Mariposa (butterfly).
She's lost because his owner is in a different village and she was created as a lapdog, not a jungle dog. She was teased by children today a lot; at my laps she got a chance to drift away to the dream world.

It's my last saturday in Peru. My stomach is full of good Italian spaghetti, minestrone soup, and welcome drink made of cat's claw, other herbs and rum. My mind is full of Elsiane and other music; we listened whole evening our iPods at Alex´s music player. So the night of Pampa Hermosa was filled with Iron Maiden, Block Party, Machinae Supremacy, Axium, Elsiane.. Before, at the lake watching the dance of Cocks-of-the-Rocks, we discussed the bad state of music in Peru. Alex had a CD-record store in Lima in the 90's, where he took all the new metal and rock from the States, but that died out because of piracy in the 2000´s.

Besides the good food and good chats with Alex, this night we also had a bonfire at the camp, like every saturday. The stars are competing with the light of the fire. 
Tomorrow, Alex told me, we are going to the sanctuary though we are not allowed. Just the two of us. He´s not been there in two months. This is going to be interesting.

Oh. My plans with biology studies are finally starting to clear out with me and this place is really helping with it. 

----

Holas desde el cielo. 14.10.2012

Lorenzo is feeling alone in the treetop; I can hear him.
My stomach is full of fresh vegetables, trout and potatoes, and home made lucuma ice cream.
I think I should pack, but I am just too tired and too happy. I hardly can hold the pen in my hand.

Alex and I woke up early today.

Pampa Hermosa was waiting for us.
It took us 2 hours to get to the place most magical.
I had an experience most unique.
With a huge dragonfly. (P.S. Look for Megaloprepus caerulatus!)
Fortunately I had Alex with me.
Otherwise I hardly could have believed my own eyes.

If Iquitos is my home in the city,
Pampa Hermosa will definitely be my home in the countryside.
In Peru.

Heaven. 13.10.12

At the mooment I really hope all my people in Finland are okay. And that I won`t die soon. Because I am in heaven right now and I am not sure why.

This morning I woke up without a stomach upset. Girl in a dream said to me I should wake up. And here I was, at 8 am. Listening the sounds of the nature as she had told me to in the dream.

After a breakfast of fruits and yucka, we went for a long hike to a sacred spot of the river and up to the mountain, Santa Lucia, where Alex`s brother has some coffee plants. Right next to it is the Sanctuary of Pampa Hermosa, where, at the moment, you are not allowed to go because the Peruvian government is doing a inventory of the flora & fauna.

We had profound conversatons with Alex, the son of the owners and my personal guide. We are going to enjoy some rock music this night. He`s amazing, he has really found his personal heaven here and I am througoutly lucky to share it.

This is really where a human being is supposed to be.

Highs of 25 degrees, lows of 18, humidity of the thousands of streams from the mountains, colibris, orchids, ferns, prehistoric plants.. and still, no mosquitos. What makes it even more perfect is the gourmè food of our lovely cook. Wow. After a 4 hour hike, you can only be so happy.

I do not know how to have a holiday. And now I`m having the 3 day vacation of my life. Gracias. Everyone, every people I care about, should get one chance to experience this.
The continuous sounds of the river. Tranquilo.
...

..to be continued. I have a flight to catch. See you, lovelies.

PHL 12.10.12

At the moment I`m watching a macaw eating a fruit on a tree next to the lodge. Tho mountains are cloudy, it`s raining, and few children are playing on the yard.

I feel cold and nauseous. I had luxurious breakfast here with a mother of a family. She`s from MYNAMAKI! You heard that right! She`s working here at Finnish Embassy. She`ll be here also until Sunday. It was strangely difficult to speak finnish after a month and a half plain spanish and english.

The bustrip was more comfortable I had thought. Transportes Junin has two floor busses with movies, really comfy bed-seats and trustworthy peruanos as passengers.

But I still didn`t manage to sleep well. Only couple of hours.
The drive here from the centere of Sam Ramon was long and beautiful. I got a new friend of my driver, Jonathan. The food here is rich and lots, compared to the Amazon.
Yes I`m very happy to pay tons on maoney for this short visit.

I want to move so much but my stomach thinks otherwise.

-------

(notes on the book: 12 de Octubre 1:41 PM La Catarata Sagrada - written by Alex)

Forgot to mention about yesterday. Israeli girl. Also from Cusco. Also sick. Also loves sushi. I`m glad we bumped into her.

And the bus last jnight. I was chatting with Caesar how I grew up with X-files. And in the buss, feeling as crappy as I did, guy next to mme started to watch interenting episode of x-files on his laptop. With english subtitles.

Today has been magical. This place is amazing. The host is amazing.
We think so aliike of the higher, natural powers. And he treats me like a queen. Which is so, so so nice because I feel like shit physically.

He also loves Nightwish, has played in punk  rock band, loves dogsm loves the jungle.. BTW if I ever move to jungle, this is the place to be; no mosquitos!

Oh! Marika, the Finn, is old classmate of my best friend`s aunt. In San Ramon.  

THE WORST DAY EVER.

That is exactly what you get after
the most beautiful, unique, spectacular, memorable and meaningful 
weekend ever.

I have so much to say
so little time

I want to sleep
just sleep

(i have found my place)

I hope you are in good health. Love.

Cusco airport

The reality of cocaine smuggling is hitting my face here in the airport constantly. My luggage has been checked 3 times. I almost became friends with a police officer who did me a drug check with x-rays. He`s from Iquitos. Moment ago, a couple police officers wanted to see my passport and boarding pass here in the departures lobby. Yay for a woman travelling alone!

The attention is probably also because of my quite hippieish look. Yesterday in Cusco, I chatted a bit with a similar artesan they have in Iquitos. The travelline one. After I had said goodbye to him, a peruvian lady who was walking ahead of me, turned around and said "esta artesano con hablaste? mal! venda drugos"
hahah. worried.

----

Now I am in Lima. Internet cafe. With this cool dude called Caesar.

Guess what? This stupid girl apparently left her cellphone to Los Aticos in Cusco. YAY! :)

So no messages to me!

Besides, when I`ll be in San Ramon next morning, no contact to outer space in 3 days.


See ya. 

Cold Cusco

How was I so stupid that I didn't realize how much the altitude affects the temperature.
Days hot, nights freezing.

Last night I wasn't feeling too good. Now I feel like I generally feel at Finland. Tired, cold, bad.
The jungle suits me better. No problems there.

Yesterday.
I got a stomach bug from a soup I ate at Aguas Calientes; the train trip to Cusco wasn't the most pleasant.
I burned my face, didn't help with the nause.
I have got the flu thanks to the air conditionings of trains and planes.
And sleeping in rooms without heaters and thick walls is like back in old, wonderful Finland in the midwinter when there's -20 celsius degrees.

Anyhow, I am very lucky.
My room in the Hotel I am now supposed to be at had some bathroom issues,
so the owner of the hotel moved me to his soon-to-be homestay place.
I do not think I couldn't be freezing in more luxurious place.
Hot shower in the morning, what is that?
Ice cream from the freezer to help with my upset stomach last night?
The wife and the daughter of the owner are spoiling me to pieces.

But damn this cold. I was "sleeping" under 3 thick blankets with a heat bottle and this heating machine on, but nothing helped with my frozen bones.

Today,
Cusco. 
Peruvian Andes.
And the souveniers. Warm clothes.
I didn't realize the city is as it big as it is.

Yay, some cute guys from Toronto, came for breakfast too.
The other one is singer, the other graphic designer. Toronto <3