May in Marseille

17/5/2013 - 27/5/2013

I have been lucky to meet lot of people around the world while I have been travelling. But I have also got really good foreign friends also in Finland. I met Antoine and Mehdi years ago in a cafe in Turku and finally it was time to go and meet them in Marseille. Nowadays I'm not good to make those short "weekend city breaks" as I think you don't really get good image what the city is really like. I really want to know what is it really like. Where the locals go to eat and after work? How they act in the subway? What they talk about? What the schools are like? What they write in the newspapers? What they watch from the TV? Then I can actually say I have seen the place. So I spent ten days in Marseille and I thought "well if I go to France I must go to Paris too" so I also went there for four days.

My trip began with the famous party boat from Turku to Stockholm. From Stockholm I took the plane to Marseille. Thanks to Ryanair the plain tickets were third of the price what they would have been if I flew from Finland. Though I almost succeeded to miss the airport bus and then my flight. Why? Well let's just say that never forget to put your alarm on the right day. I didn't see much Stockholm but the little I did I started to think - why I never visit it more? It's just on the other side and it's more than cheap to go and visit. 

Archipelago on the way to Stockholm

Stockholm

But so I made it to the plane and I got to Marseille. And it was grey. Rainy. Cold. And I had only my summer clothes with me. I was going to South of France. I thought it must be warm ! Actually it wasn't. Couple days I could wear shorts but then .. I wasn't lucky with the weather but luckily I had the best guides in the world. Mehdi and Antoine showed me around and hosted me so well ! I even felt little bit spoiled sometime. But seriously Finnish men should learn some manners from the French. The bets are on the table Finns !

My home in Marseille - loved it !

My guides - the best !

Marseille

 Marseille is famous for being dirty and dangerous. I didn't see neither of them. As I was lucky to go there when Marseille hosts the Cultural Capital City of Europe this year. The city has been cleaned and I had my two bodyguards with me all the time so I were safe. For me Marseille is made from delicious cakes, beautiful streets, lovely harbour, friendly people and lot of fun !

Old part of Marseille

The cakes .. Oh my !

The harbour - amazingly beautiful and my favorite in Marseille

Because of the cultural year the city was full of these exotic animals - trying to find them all could be nice game while you visit there !

Luckily as I had the best guides I visite some other places near Marseille also. Actually I can't imagine how many great places there are just next to the city which we outsiders don't know. All these small and narrow streets just waiting for me. I could walk around and just loose myself in the middle of the streets. They're full of nice little cafes where you will have more and more delicious breads, cheeses or croissants. Yummy ! Here are few place where we visited and which I will miss a lot and just dream about going back !

Allauch

La Ciottat

Aix-en-Provence

Calanque

After great time in Marseille it was time to move up North - au revoir Marseille, salut Paris !

Last stop - Delhi

9/1/2013 - 12/1/2013

Okay so I arrive to Delhi sick, tired and frustrated. I've been sick for days and I was so ready to leave India. I'd amazing time in the country but that moment I just wanted to be in my bed in Finland. Not in the middle of busy streets of Delhi trying to find a place to stay and avoiding all these men who were trying to sell me USBs or pot. Lot of people also tried to get me in their guesthouse but unfortunately they didn't realise that when Finnish girls are irritated you shouldn't go to talk to them. In the end I found a place to stay and I just wanted to fall in bed. Next morning I woke up sooo tired and I was just thinking about that I have only two days left. Then I can finally go home and see a doctor there. I'd heard from Indian doctors and I preferred to wait couple days just to get the right medicine in case I needed. When I went have breakfast to the rooftop restaurant of my place I was feeling tired and exhausted. For outsider I probably looked so pissed too .. Or not. As soon for my surprise this guy comes to me and asks me if I want to join them. I was so surprised for this invitation. I joined their table and luckily I did. Lucas and Nathan, thank you for inviting me in your table and saving my last days in India. You made my last days in Delhi happy and unforgettable. I don't have much else to say about Delhi. Let the pictures talk this time.

Lord Krishna - my place

Nathan and Lucas

Market day every day

Sitar shop - Beatles visited here !

 Red Fort

Thanks guys for amazing time !

 But the last words. India, still I don't know what to say about you. People ask how was it but I really don't know what to say. I always answer it's something completely different and it is. But why it is? I don't know. It's fascinating but ugly at the same time. It's poor and rich. It's very spiritual but at the same time people also talk a lot about money and how that brings happiness. But I believe it gives to every single traveller something different. What it could give to you? Go and find out! I definitely recommend it!

Unlucky Goa

3/1/2013-9/1/2013

I was so happy to meet Jeremy again after few weeks. I wanted to hear all his stories about driving with the rikshaw all the way from Udaipur to Arambol, Goa. Arambol is a city in North Goa and it's popular among electric music fans and young travellers. There are also lot of Russians like anywhere in Goa. When I was sitting in the bus on the way from central Goa to North I saw lot of signs written in Russian. It felt like I wasn't that far away from home. Thoug, here were 30 degrees warmer than at home. 

Jeremy was staying in guesthouse called Ave Maria. The owner is really nice lady Maria and she is happy to welcome everybody in her guesthouse. Actually her guesthouse had this cool rooftop where people can put their mattress and sleep. But we didn't sleep there .. I was lucky to sleep in "Kathi", Jeremy's rikshaw. The best thing in Arambol was driving around with Jeremy and listening to reggae ! So cool.

Kathiii !

Lovely guesthouse in Arambol

 After couple days in Arambol I decided to go South Goa and place called Palolem. After hours in the bus I arrive to the place and I immediately have a bad feeling about the place. People are yelling to me and offering places to stay or drive or bikinis .. I wanted to leave and happily I meet a Finnish family which I met before on the way from Hampi. They suggested me to go Agonda beach which is much more quiet and luckily I did. It is much more quiet and more like a village. When you arrive to Agonda it's better to walk around and all the way beach from the other to the other. Guesthouses are very different and I thought that the nicest ones were in North (or South? haha.). Some places are very luxurious but there are cheap bamboo huts too.

My guesthouse on the beach

Agonda

From my favorite beach bar - the only one where I visited !

Surprise - there were cows too !

After finding a place to stay I went for a walk to the beach and I could realise why the place is much more quiet than Arambol - it is full of couples and families. It's not a bad thing but if you're a single girl travelling alone you don't necessarily want to see happy honeymoon couples around you all the time. So I have warned you ! Otherwise I must say that I can't tell you more about the place .. As thank you for the diarrhea I didn't see much else except the pink walls of my guesthouse.

calmness - beautiful

Agonda's main highway

I was supposed to take the train back to Delhi on the 9th January but after being sick for days I had to book a flight to go there. As I wasn't so keen to spend two days in train's toilet. So all in all - Goa wasn't such a good experience for me. Had two nice days in Arambol and one in Agonda. Four others .. Oh my. I was happy to go back to Delhi.

Hampi

29/12/12-2/1/13

My first experience in Hampi: an elephant bathing in the river and spraying water to people. I was looking the sigth and thinking that this couldn't be anything else but a good sign. And it was - a good sign.When I arrived to Hampi I met two Swedish girls - Moa and Alicia who are two amazing and friendly girls. We got along very well from the beginning and they were ready to share a place together. I was so lucky to meet them as one thing I have noticed when you travel alone as a girl. We girls are not that open to other girls and getting friends with girls is pretty hard. But not with these two Swedish girls !

The temple elephant bathing in the morning

 After difficulties we found great place to stay: White Elephant. The staff, food and rooms are pretty nice and good but so are the prices. For us the room wasn't so bad as there were three of us who shared the room but for one or two person it could be too much. But sometimes it's worth to put more money in something and this time it was the staff. They were great and were one important part of my happy memories in Hampi.

White (or Pink) Elephant and it's rooms

Indians and Hindus believe that elephant brings good luck. I think the elephant which I saw on the first day brought some good luck for me too. I spent amazing time in Hampi and I have nothing bad say about it. On the first day we rent some bicycles and drove around to see temples. We met new friends like Mose who was travelling too, local shop guy whose name I can't remember anymore (noo!) and other local guys who help at his store. I also tried yoga first time in my life and it was so funny ! I was feeling like an old granny as I couldn't strech at all ! Our yoga teacher instead was like rubber and he looked like a big spider with his long legs and hands and skinny body.

Virupaksha temple

There are also some one living in the temple ..

.. and some others too!

She got little bit tired

Hampi is full of these boulders !

Street food !

Fried chilli - the best !

Next day we rent bikes with Moa and Mose and drove around Hampi to see temples and we were supposed to go and swim to a lake but instead we ended up to a local water park ! That was so funny ! There were no others but us and Indian families and school kids. Me and Mose jump in the pool and we got long looks. I perhaps got longer as I had only bikini top and that is pretty less in India. Local girls usually swim with full clothes. The day was perfect and in the evening we gathered to have dinner as it was New Year's Eve. We didn't party much as all the places closed already at 22.30. And anyway I will be mysterious from our night. I just can tell it included stars, river and coconut boat.

Water park and can you notice who are the "strangers"? haha

They had a swimming pool for ladies only ..

.. and slides for girls and boys !

The slide rebellious !

Next time .. some more clothes on !

Views from the Monkey temple

Monkey temple and some tree .. (?)

Some more views from the road

At one temple they were drying cocnut and chilli

RHCP !

Me, Moa, local boys and Mose

On the last day we went to this lake which we were looking for on the first day. We were sunbathing and just relaxing. There were only local guys and I have to say they were pretty interested about us. Girls with bikinis. And they even came to ask if they could take a picture from us if they paid ! We felt little bit too uncomfortable and we rent this funny coconut boat to go to other spot. That was fun and we could be in peace !

Boulders and goats at the lake

Mose and the coconut boat

Our driver

The last day arrived and it was time to move. I left to meet my friend Jeremy in Goa as he had finally arrived there with his rikshaw ! I was happy to leave Hampi as I met really cool people but I was also so happy to meet my dear old friend again. Hi ho let's go !