The Travelogue, Part XXXV - Finland: Land of Comfortable Silence

Finland

Some of you might know I recently moved to Finland. Many of you have been asking me what it is like. Now that I have been here for a month I will share my first tentative observations. Currently I am making these from the safe location of Helsinki, but I expect to be a bit more intrepid in the near future.

Helsinki itself is a medium sized town on the southern Finnish coast, sprawling across a scattering of beautiful islands. This coastal location makes it much warmer then the rest of Finland, so you might be surprised to hear that is actually not 'that cold'. In fact it's often warmer then, for example, Berlin and gets the same leisurely 30 degrees in summer. It has a lovely Russian classicist center and the sea is never far.

So what have my experiences with Finns been so far? I just want to mention two subjects that I repeatedly find myself confronted with.

Finnish Identity

Sandwiched between Russia and Sweden, always under hegemony from either of the two, Finland only became a nation as late 1917. Apart from language, Finland has little unique cultural definitions of its own, as I had to learn visiting the national museum. This is probably why Finns are exceptionally keen on pointing out the multitude of Finland's achievements over the course of its short history. To do my part and pass on the glory of Finnish ingenuity I shall introduce you to some of the most important Finnish contributions to human history.

 The Dish-Drying Cupboard

Probably the most Finnish of inventions, the Dish-Drying Cupboard is simple, understated and practical. Washed dishes are put over the sink to dry, conveniently hidden in the cupboard. I don't know why it's so rare outside Finland, as it is pretty ingenious.

The Molotov Cocktail

Yes, that's right: the Molotov cocktail. During the Finnish war (1939-40) against Russia, the Finnish army found itself severely outnumbered and under-equipped. The valiant defense of the Finnish guerrilla gathered the Finns a lot of respect in Europe and serves as the prime example for the Finnish most defining character trait: sisu. Commonly translated as "gritty perseverance" it basically means you are a tough fucker. You know, the type of guy who will make a point by hacking a hole into the ice to take a swim, just because he can. The Molotov Cocktail is named after the Russian foreign minister of the time, which is pretty much his only claim to fame.

The Mumins

Created by Tove Janson, the Mumins have achieved international renown ever since they received feature film treatment in Japan. The Mumins are a family of troll-like creatures inhabiting the Finnish forest (and at times other places). The series is commonly considered kids entertainment, but includes dealing with sophisticated topics such as materialism and depression. The Mumins still remain bestsellers and have just recently spawned a new TV show.

Linux

The famous free open source software with the annoying penguin mascot now has an estimated 60 million users. The Finn Linus Torvalds created its base in 1991 and it has since steadily grown to become the world's largest free open source operating system.

Despite all these famous contraptions, some Finns seem to be on a veritable crusade to fight Finland's ever-looming descent into obscurity, producing what they believe to be a famous person or event in Finnish history for virtually every conversation subject you might broach. If necessary, even 1957 Miss World Marita Lindahl will be pulled from the depths of beauty pageant history to illustrate Finland's claim to international renown. If you preemptively present yourself to be knowledgeable in Finnish fame history you will avoid getting lectured and you might even win a smile.

Finnish social culture

In terms of social ambiance, Moving to Finland from the UK is a bit like moving from the green meadows into the desert. Let me illustrate. I went out with a friend of mine. On the table, we meet a lot of his other friends. As they are friends of my friend, I figured I should introduce myself. I walk up to the first person. "Hey, I'm Florian." and extend my hand. The person looks at me with an expression of utter indifference. After some seconds of unexpected silence, he says: "You know, in our culture you don't need to say anything if have got nothing to say." I stand there for another three or so awkward seconds before I try to retract my extended hand as naturally as possible.
As you can see, having a friendly chat with strangers is not exactly rooted in Finnish society. But I have gathered five preliminary rules to help you avoid similar situations of awkwardness when you go out to socialize in Finland.

Rule of the Drink
The secret to enjoyable conversation in Finland is being able to judge the individual drinking capabilities of the person you talk to. You want to catch your conversation partners at about 75% drunkenness. Before they lack the social lubricant to converse and past that they'll be too wasted to talk.

Rule of Physical Distance
My Finnish workmate calls it the rule of the fist. If you are within a (stretched-out) fist's range, you are to close. Don't touch, don't hug, don't kiss. Unless you are both correctly estimated to be past 75% drunkenness. This may sound limiting, but do not despair: with many Finns this is a daily occurrence.

Rule of Exact Information
Finland is a very information-efficient country. Say more than required and people will consider you a nuisance, say less than necessary, and things will go awry, as Finns will not make any assumptions on their own. So don't expect the bus driver (or anyone else on the bus) to tell you which station to get off just because you asked whether the bus is going there.

Rule of Self-reliance
While this principle transcends conversation, the ideal of sisu has a profound conversational effect. People will make you feel like an idiot if you ask questions. After all, you could have spend two hours figuring things out on your own now, couldn't you.

The Rule of Comfortable Silence
When there is nothing of importance being discussed, silence between two conversation partners is not anything to get uncomfortable about. Finns will not consider you a bad conversation partner if you say nothing.

Socializing with women is marginally easier, mainly because someone needs to take care of the procreation business when all the men have passed out. Finland is also supposed to be one of the most gender-neutral countries on earth. It was the first nation to establish full voting rights for women, and is still on the forefront of gender equality. Employment among women is as high as among men, and many of the state-run services, such as free daycare for children, make sure it stays that way. All this makes Finnish women refreshingly hands-on. Finnish women are the type of girl who will get her high heels off and help you carry your couch into your apartment right before she's about to go on a night out, as it happened to me three days ago. Flirting is an almost exclusively female domain in Finland, as Finnish men are usually either too shy to make a move or too drunk to be attractive. So don't be surprised when women are very explicit about their intentions...one of my Italian colleagues was so frightened he asked me for protection the other day...

The Travelogue, Part XXXII - USA: Conclusion

Traveling

There's only one way to travel in the United States, and that is by car. Yes, you could theoretically use public transport, but that means you won't see much of what this country has to offer and what you'll be seeing is not the best end of it, either. Greyhounds and other transport tend to frequent only the most common routes, which means those economically important, not those visually or culturally interesting, and unless you only want to go from big city to big city they are only an occasional option. Most of the interesting bits lie far from the main routes, and if you want to see this country, you will have to get you own vehicle. This is also often true within cities, as American towns were constructed with cars in mind.

If you plan on traveling the USA the backpacker way, think twice. To the majority of Americans this mode of travel is an entirely alien concept and consequently there is virtually no infrastructure for independent travelers. Hostels exist only in big (or touristed) cities, and you'll find that they are either shabby or overpriced, very often both. In fact, getting a budget motel is often cheaper than a hostel and you are less likely to run into shady characters. Either way, the budget range is still around 40 $ a night, even for a dorm bunk bed (!) in popular cities, and you're not getting much for your money.
I reckon the best way to see the USA is by camper or even better, a car with a trailer, so you have independence from both public transport and expensive accommodation.

On the plus side, if you do have a car (rent it through a European site; often saves you about 50%!), America is very convenient. Almost everything you'll want to see has a well-paved road and a parking spot right in front of it, and driving here is literally a very straightforward affair. Be prepared to bring lots of caffeine though, as everyone drives along the totally straight roads on the exact same maximum speed which is the traffic equivalent of a lullaby. Also note that lack of proper driving lessons and a certain redneck attitude when on the road makes Americans some of the worst drivers on the planet. Road awareness seems to equal character weakness for many inhabitants, and you will need to make up for that with being extra careful.

Food 

In many countries American food is synonymous with junk: greasy, cheap and tasteless, and unfortunately that is not too far from the truth. The majority of American food, whatever nationality it might claim to stem from, is filling at best and revolting at its worst. It's usually lathered in fat and MSG, oversalted and the ingredients are poor, with the former probably being a product of the latter. Shopping in an American supermarket for good food is like trying to buy an Armani shirt at a Thai street market - the label might be the same, but the contents are very different indeed. Finding that the "Original Italian Parma Ham" is made in Wisconsin might amuse, the fact that it isn't actually cured and has "smoke flavour" added might befuddle, but that it contains only 30% meat should worry you. American companies manage to turn a simple product like Hummus (water, oil, chickpeas, spices) into a industrial cocktail of 27 different additions, among them emulsifiers, preservatives, colourings plus the ubiquitous corn starch. Even "health food" is laced with all sorts of dubious addtions that the lax American consumer laws allow.

But it's not all grim. Good food can be had, but it requires local knowledge and a well-fed wallet. Farmer's markets and food-conscious consumers are on the rise, but for now good food seemed like a white middle class hobby to me rather than a general ideal. In general I found that "American food" (Burgers, ribs, etc.) is the best taste for value, whereas all foreign food tended to be a lukewarm version of the original at twice the price, and mediocre even in expensive places. If you like good beer, however, do not despair. American microbreweries make some fine ale that is well worth drinking.
Food doesn't come cheap and you can expect to fork out around 20 $ a day (including tax and tips) on a backpacker's budget for food and drink. You can live off less, but then you'll likely be fat and slouchy at the end of your trip.

People

 

America's overarching social culture has both benefits and drawbacks for independent travelers. Where you come from matters little, and Americans are friendly, chatty and generally very helpful and happy to show you around. Except when they are unsure about your motivations or their surroundings, in which case they become excessively paranoid. You will find that in such cases, asking for the way will be met with suspicious glares or even increased pace and ignorance. Most of this paranoia is caused by America's media's incessant exaggeration of the various dangers in the country, and I cannot count the times I have been insistently warned of robbers, rapists and mountain lions, who always seem to be "in the vicinity" or "seen yesterday". Keep that in mind when trying to hitchhike.

As stated in the last post, Americans love to (or ought to) say 'yes' at all times, so don't assume any invitation to be serious and have a Plan B. In a very Japanese manner, social harmony is very important and sometimes the line between a good discussion and a unpleasant disagreement is very thin in America, where open disagreement is more often than not seen as a breach of social conduct rather than a healthy interchange of opinions. 

Private sphere and private property are very important concepts in American society, and you better don't infringe on either of them. Once you are allowed within either of them though, Americans are gracious hosts in my experience and will go out of their way to make you comfortable. Americans love to party, and in big towns fiesta is never far away. To avoid cultural irritation especially if you are female, accustom yourself to the Bump'n'Grind, America's national dance, also known as the Backrubber Tango.

Tourism Value

When I announced I was going to the States, many people asked me various version of the same notion: "Why? There is nothing to see." - "But, over there is like, you know, here." - "America? Why in the world would you want to go to that place?" For some reason there seems to be a sentiment that America is a place without much attractions, at least compared with more exotic places like Thailand or Brazil. Reality couldn't be further from the truth, and this leg of my trip has been one of the most impressive on my journey.

Another belief held dear by self-absorbed Europeans is that America is a country without culture or history. Well, if ancient cliff dwellings, Spanish and English colonial architecture, gold rush ghost towns and 300 years of human history of exploration, invention and entertainment aren't good enough for you, then Florence or Kyoto probably won't do it for you either. The American country has plenty of unique history to offer, and if you are willing to listen it will tell you your fair share of war and peace and human struggle, of alien gods and sunken cultures, and of heroes of renown. Many of this isn't necessarily marked (although mentioned) as a highlight in the big guide books, but well worth searching out.

In terms of contemporary culture, America has a lot to offer, too. I personally find that its appeal lies more in the various expressions of 'Americana' which scatter across town and countryside. If you stray from the (comparatively mediocre) standard fare of shows, entertainment centers and art galleries, America's contemporary culture is varied and diverse, sometimes bemusing and often openly hilarious. Where else would you find the largest ball of twine or the atomic testing museum? Where else could you tour an ethically aware porn studio or ride the world's largest rollercoaster?
Some of Americas museums, like the Denver Art Museum, are nothing short of excellent.

Yet America's most impressive sight is the country itself. From vast deserts and towering mountains to crystal-clear lakes and multi-coloured canyons, jaw-dropping scenery waits around every corner, sometimes within a mere hour's drive. Everything here is just bigger, wider and wilder than anywhere else on the planet, and America's nature has often left me speech- and breathless, as I looked around in disbelief. Even 'minor' sights, such as the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, will leave you gaping in awe. Photographs cannot truly capture the sheer grandeur of this country, and I can only recommend you to just simply go and experience it for yourself.

On the downside, if there is something to see, then someone will charge you for it, and that is true even for state-run nature sights. If you have to fork out 25$ per person to see a giant hole in the ground that requires zero maintenance, then you know Uncle Sam needs your dinero pretty bad. 

Conclusion

 

Despite the expenses, the USA is a great travel destination. I cannot stress how utterly amazing the nature here is, and how it will leave you with inspiration and memories for weeks after. Many places, like Vegas or Silverton are worth visiting for their charming tackyness. As long as you're independent of public services America has great infrastructure for you to get around. Next time I come here, and I will come back, I'll come in some sort of mobile home, which saves time, money and energy. America suffers from an unjustified reputation as an unexotic and culturally uninteresting travel destination. Trust me, there is plenty of things to see here that you will blow you mind and tingle your spine. Yes, people over here don't know how to dress or drive, but you'll forgive them when they serve you another oversized 30% meat burger with coke - and a smile.

The Travelogue, Part XVIII - Sulawesi: Behind the Green Wall

 

Finally I made it: I ventured into the jungle, quite specifically the Lore Lindu National Park. Now what did I see there? The answer is: not much. But I learned a lot about local culture and why wildlife conservation does not work. Despite that, it was still good fun, and a very scenic trek.

Ascent to the mountain

We (meaning the guide, the porter and me) started off in the Christian town of Tentena, next to the quite remarkable Lake Poso. Not too long ago, Muslims and Christians fought each other heavily in this area, the product of a youth brawl that escalated into full-scale war that cost over 1000 people their lives.

The Bada valley in all its glory

From here we made our way into the Bada Valley, a lovely stretch of pristine farmland, cut off from the rest of the world until the late eighties. Even now, there´s not much road between the potholes and often the jeep would not be able to continue without ad-hoc road repairs and lots of pushing. On the other side of the mountains, though, lies the most peaceful and quaint bucolic village you can imagine: pastel-coloured houses with picket fences are surrounded by lush, green fields in which buffalo graze and peasants plant their rice. Life is easy here. There are no seasons and crops can be planted all year round: rice, cocoa, corn, vanilla, coffee, papaya, whatever your farmer heart might wish for.

The humble buffalo is still the main agricultural tool here

Apart from offering some amazing hikes into the surrounding countryside, the area is known for its ancient megaliths, large stones sculptured into human likeness that are littered across the whole valley. No one knows where they came from or who crafted them, but scholars assume they were made by a small paleontholithic civilization of which no other trace remains.

A female megalith statue of unknown origin

We spent the night there and made for the national park the following morning.

Early morning view of the national park

From the village we went on a freshly made ranger path into the mountain jungle. During the three day journey we were to cover 60 kilometers spread across 2000 meters altitude. The path was barely recognizable, but the my guides knew where to go...and so did every else, unfortunately.

I was expecting an unending barrage of mysterious animal noises, like I heard so many times in countless documentaries and movies before. Instead, the jungle stayed eerily silent. Apart from the occassional bird call once every hour or so, only the persistent scratching of the cicadas filled my ears. No monkeys, no hornbills, not even geckos or frogs. 

Overnight stay is in shelters like these.

For a while I thought, the place was generally wild, but then I saw more and more paths branching out from our own, as frequent as three or four every twenty minutes. That's when a whole lot of explaining started that showed me why, despite protection, rangers and NGO funding nature reserves don't last long in Indonesia and, assumedly, in the rest of the world. 

Self-made kerosene lamps are the only lights

Basically, when a ranger makes a new path, for reasons of tending to the forest or ecotourism, it's the signal for the whole village to use it to exploit the forest. Some of these forms of exploitation is relatively harmless, like the gathering of Agatis sap, others, hunting, trapping, logging are not. For the majority of my trek I was never far from the sound of an illegal chainsaw, the chopping of machetes and the barking of dogs. Obviously, faced with the constant assault of noise and activity, no animal, from the rare anoa to the common monkey would stay anywhere close the trail, and those unfortunate ones who make their presence known quickly fall victim to poachers. While anoa and babi rusa are trapped for their meat (which sells for about 50000 rupiah a piece), monkeys and birds are captured as pets. 

Captured Hornbill

For an example of how extreme this persecution can get, hear the fate of the humble Toke, also known as gecko. When Chinese traders in Sulawesi announced they would pay good money for any dead gecko the locals could find (for use in Chinese medicine), the inhabitants of Sulawesi managed within only a few years to all but eradicate the gecko from the Island, where before it was abundant. As my guide told me, if anyone would hear the sound of its voice (the characteristic "Eck-awww") nearby, they would make straight for the tree to take it down. Well, that explains at least why I didn't hear any geckos. And while jungle life is elusive, I reckon that the two spring traps we destroyed on the way and the many dogs brought by Agatis collectors ( who claim they need the dogs to "protect" them from wild animals) have not helped much.

The ranger sharing supplies with the poachers. They're buddies after all.

The route, however, was stunning, with very diverse vegetation and microlife across the trek, from fern forest to rainforest and almost alpine looking yellow meadows.

View from the mountains on Doda village

Bushland

Primary Forest

Fern Forests

Speaking of alpine vegetation: in an effort to fight errosion caused by logging and farmland creation, the government planted easily obtained european pine trees, which causes the affected areas to look exactly like Switzerland or Tyrol. Filled me with a sense of home. The government was unaware that the pine tree is a tough tree that would take over the local ecosystem, but the villagers love them, because the lower vegetation density makes shooting the remaining wildlife that ventures there easier. Mind you, please, that this is all information given freely by my guide.

The Alps? Canada? No, tropical Sulawesi...

At this time it dawned to me that nature reserve does not have to mean that an area is protected for it's great biodiversity, but simply because it is the only bloody forest left to protect. Within the national park are many small villages, grown to ten times their size due to higher life expectations and absence of family planning. Where before the forest could sustain the unrestrained reaping of its resources, now it won't, and I give this reserve another 20 years before it's gone the way of the Sulawesi gecko. It's not a often glorified way of living in harmony with nature that kept these communities sustainable for the forest, but rather their small size. The people themselves have no idea why protecting the environment or the extinction of a species would be of any importance. To quote a local hunter when asked: "Oh, when all animals are gone, I can live from logging. And if all the trees are gone, I can plant cocoa! No problem!"

Despite all this, I have learned a lot about jungle life; what plants to suck for water if no rivers are around, which herb cures rabies and how to always find some Agatis resin to get a fire started.

Agatis sap is harvested for candles and candy coating

I also learned that the most dangerous creature in the Sulawesi forest is the Anoa, or Pygmy Buffalo, which may only stand 80 centimeters tall, but is relentless and vicious in its attacks. For the more paranoid people among you: never be the second person in a trek line. Most wild animals never attack the first person passing, so the second usually gets pounced upon. I've braved river waters and swarms of wild bees, six different kinds of leeches and spiders the size of a dinner plate. Since I couldn't find any big things, I turned my attention to the smallest denizens of the rainforest, so there would be at least some pictures.

Moths the size of my hand...

...and spiders big enough to steal my soap.

This creature glues debris to its back to conceal itself.

Strange parasitic plants abound.

The locals call this bug "belanda" (holland) because of its nose

Even opening supplies can be potentially hurtful

A giant cicada

Nepentis plants attract insects that then fall into its digestive liquid

Looks like a forest, but is actually a microscopic moss

After the return is was amphetamine-fueled driving and cheesy Indonesian love songs all the way as usual. When remarked on his reckless driving on barely adequate roads through villages at night, the diver merely laughed and shouted: "Well, we're all good Christians, right?". The Muslims here have a similar sense of humor: when inquired to the safety of the airline I was supposed to fly with, the travel agent simply smiled at me and said "Inshallah". I just love travel in this country.

The next post will cover the Togean Islands, so if your work life can't bear pictures of tropical beaches, you might skip that one.

The Travelogue, Part XVI: Malaysia and Singapore - Food Porn

I can't deny it: my conclusion after visiting several Islamic states is that Islam is just bound to make people unhappy and (ironically) less spiritual. Whether or not the Prophet himself (peace be upon him) was a miserable bugger or not, I cannot say, since he was wise enough (just like all other great religious founders) to not write a book in his lifetime. His followers seem to be for sure: Gender seclusion, uncomfortable fashion, party denial and bearded patriarchy are but a few of the great inventions that Mohammed's disciples have left their countrymen to enjoy. I find that since they cannot live their life with the freedoms that most humans, independent of background, seem to enjoy, they turn to shopping instead. Whether you go to Dubai or Brunei, Kuala Lumpur or Tehran, it's all about shopping malls and generally buying more stuff. Thankfully though, in Malaysia there are other cultures as well, which gives the country not only an added notch of celebratory liberty (even if at expensive prices), but has also created some of the best cuisine on the planet. Add some Indians, Indonesians and Thai to the mix, and this place becomes food heaven.
If you follow my facebook you might know I fell food sick in Penang, depriving me of some of my intended mission to just eat eat and eat while in Malaysia. Additionally, I seem to have had my best food when there was no camera around. Still though I have managed to capture a few of my amazing meals on camera, with which I will delight (or torture) you now. None of these cost more than 2 pounds.

Singapore style Laksa

South Indian-Malay Thali

Barbequed Sweet Duck Noodles

Sweet and Spicy Hokkien Prawn

Random Penang Buffet

I can generally really recommend peninsular Malaysia as a tourist destination: it is relatively cheap, has everything from temples to islands, the food is amazing and infrastructure is good. It also offers authentic and lively ethnic quarters, giving you immersive experiences of destinations such as India or South China conveniently in one place. The only drawback might be the relatively expensive booze (about 1.5 pounds for a small can of beer).