This is Finland.

What is this country I came back to last Monday? I expected idyllic winter scenery with glittering snow and fresh air - instead I got weary looking people, black ground and darkness everywhere. It didn't take very long for me to start missing the colours, smells, sounds and people of Tanzania (or Benin too, still). Somehow the lowest point was reached when I was on a train from Helsinki to Varkaus, feeling a bit sick in a fast Pendolino train which was wobbling strangely and listening to a shaven 18-year-old boy in his army suit, talking on his cell phone about cruise boats, drinking and general Christmas stuff with a very strong Eastern Finnish accent. I started to feel very anxious and wanted to get away, quickly - it was just too much Finland for me.

Today it was better already. I made one portion of gingerbread ('pipari') dough for tomorrow and went for this Winter Solstice thing that they organise at the old channel in Varkaus. Loads of candles, cool ice sculptures, program for children and a bit of music & poetry for adults - and even half an inch of snow on the ground (see the photo! I also added some photos to previous posts)...I was also being reminded that in fact the greatest temperature change was not from Tanzania to Finland, but inside Finland when I went straight from a walk, from -1 Celsius degrees to a good old wooden Finnish sauna, +85 degrees. It felt great!

So how does Finland look like to me now, after 3 1/2 months abroad? It is quiet, sad, well organised, filled with people who all look the same (a lot of beautiful women though!) and polite. I will get used to it again, I am sure. Just give me some time to adjust...

Luxury life in Qatar

According to the original plan at this moment I would already be in Finland – but as explained in the previous post, my homecoming got delayed by one day.

So right now I am at the Grand Regency hotel in Doha, Qatar, watching Arabic and Western music videos from a huge widescreen TV in my air-conditioned, fairly elegant room. Apparently being late for your flight and getting a new one which has an overnight transit instead of a night flight was a good thing after all! I arrived from Dar to Doha after 9pm, asked around at the airport, was first being told that I should just sleep in the quiet rooms at the airport, but after checking them and stating that they are full I gave another try at the transit desk, and yes! Qatar Airways offers this night, which at the moment is like the best gift ever, although it also feels very surreal being in this five-star hotel after staying in all those crappy, cheap guesthouses in Tanzania. Room here would ordinarily cost 1400 QR, which is about 280 €. Sweet start for a homecoming..!

A shuttle bus brought me together with some other passengers to the Regency hotel, about 20-minute drive from the airport. At the reception I was being told that “only the buffet dinner is included, other things you have to pay yourself” (like for this Internet connection). Now, then, I am stuffed with different Oriental and Mediterranean dishes, enjoying especially the sweet desserts. I have to remark that five stars don’t guarantee good taste in music – for dinner I listened to “the best hits of the 90s played with a pan flute”. ‘Candle In The Wind’ and ‘My Heart Will Go On’ as pan flute versions, just what I wanted to hear while I’m eating…

Besides full stomach, I am also being relaxed by a hot bath in a real bathtub! I might be getting a bit too excited by all this, but really: here you have a lot more than the usual hotel soap. I have a shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body scrub, body lotion, two different soaps, “a vanity kit” (with cotton and other stuff) and a shower cap. For some reason there is a phone also in the bathroom - for emergencies?

I suppose it is time for bed now since I have an early wake-up after only a few hours because I have to be at the airport two hours before departure (7.40 am). But hey, sleeping in a real bed instead of uncomfortable airport benches – what more could a girl hope for?

Just a note - at the publishing time I am actually in Vienna, trying to warm up myself from time to time in different places: cafés, shops, trams and Internet cafés...the fridge temperature outside is not THAT bad, but I just don't feel like staying there for too long. So, Finland in just a few hours..!

Going, not-going, going...

Right now I should be sitting on board of Qatar Airways flight, going to Doha and on to Vienna & Helsinki. But I am not - instead I am at a shopping mall 'Slipway' in Dar es Salaam, trying to spend another extra night here in Tanzania. What happened?

I got to the airport - a bit late, I have to admit, but last days are always so busy everywhere. But I was there 1h20min before the flight time in my ticket. It didn't help though, since the actual flight time was about 1h5min before the time (16h35) mentioned in my ticket. So there I was, tired, with two heavy bags, trying to find someone to help me - all the Qatar Airways employees were finalizing the flight that I could not be on. Finally after pleading the security guards and various other airport employees, I got hold of one QA employee who managed to get me a flight for tomorrow. So, on Monday evening I will finally be in Finland, if everything goes well (inshallah!).

What I learned? Always, always reconfirm your flights (when I left Helsinki and called Qatar Airways, they said that I don't need to do that, but see where I am now) and check the flight times a few days before departure. I know it was partly my fault, but I also think that they could actually inform the clients personally. One more day in Dar es Salaam - it is not really that bad, I even have quite a lot of Tanzanian shillings left to spend, but I was just already mentally prepared to go. Labda kesho, maybe tomorrow..!

It’s fun to stay at the...

yes, YMCA in Dar es Salaam! I really do enjoy staying here, I already stayed three nights during my first week in Tanzania, and now I am back again since last Wednesday. I personally think that YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Mission) is a lot better than YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Mission) in Dar es Salaam, although all the guidebooks tell me the opposite. It is cheaper, there is more light and air going through the building, rooms are bigger and nicer, the staff is friendlier and the café/shop better equipped. The two hostels are situated almost opposite each other, near the main post office in the centre of Dar es Salaam. ‘Posta’ is also one of the main daladala (the public transport minibuses) stands, so I don’t have to walk too much if I want to get out of the centre – in the very city centre I can just walk.

Most of the oh-so-grumpy staff in the beginning have started smiling, greeting me cheerfully (“Rafiki! Mambo vipi?”) and even trying to pronounce my name (I think I heard something like Regina yesterday, it’s close enough). The service is extraordinarily slow both in the reception and the bar/restaurant, but with these prices I really can’t complain. The Tanzanian resident (I am one now, official permit is until April…) rate is half of the normal price, so a double room costs for me 8600 TSH (around 5 euros). Very cheap, especially when I shared the room with Anna-Riitta until today! Food is also very affordable compared to other restaurants’ prices in Dar, a bit more than 2000 TSH (1,5 euros) for a plate of fish or chicken with some staple (maize porridge ugali/rice/chips) and other stuff.

And it really is fun to stay here. Last night we got some free entertainment, when the courtyard of YMCA was reserved for a “kitchen party”, for loads of women giving gifts and instruction to a bride-to-be. Mostly the party seemed to consist of loud music (they even had a DJ and a hostess/singer) and people dancing in a circle – but I enjoyed watching it, while sipping my Stoney Tangawizi (Tanzanian ginger ale soda, very tasty!). All the YMCA employees seemed to take advantage of the party as well, skilfully ignoring all the clients and joining the party instead. Oh well…but I still rather prefer to support the YMCA café instead of, say Mövenpick Royal Palm hotel’s bar where we went yesterday with Anna-Riitta, just to experience something completely different. The bartenders there were about as many as the clients on the counter, but still they managed to ignore us very efficiently, being busy polishing plates or chatting with each other instead. Come on, it is a five-star hotel, where I am expecting to get service, not having to beg for it with those prices! We also tasted the worst falafels ever as part of a Lebanese snack plate. They were just plain, cold, hard and dry, probably straight out of a package. At least my juice drink had a slice of pineapple and the tiny umbrella on top of it - although the name, ‘Boo Boo Special’, sounded better than the drink itself was.

Even at the YMCA there are some inconveniences, mostly very practical things. Such as non-functioning light bulbs in the showers/toilets of our floor, meaning that you either have to go there in the dark, take a flashlight with you or run to the lower floor if you prefer to have better lighting. Or night guards who are very reluctant to let you in after 11pm, when the gates close. Or the noise from nearby building sites (probably more skyscraper banks and hotels coming up), starting at 7.30 am the latest, every morning. Or waiting for your breakfast 30 minutes (how long does it take to make one omelette?). Or trying to hunt for your room key around noon, when the cleaning ladies are moving between the floors and your key might be anywhere in the building…it is very irritating if you’re just feeling hot and tired (and that is often the case in Dar). The only solution is basically to sigh, swear and say to yourself ‘this is Africa’. And hell, there are just five more days left: I’m leaving the hot and humid Eastern African coast and heading back to the cold and wet Northern Europe on Saturday. Did someone say that three and half months is a long time?!?

Healthy life in Lushoto.

Lushoto, a lovely small town in the Usambara mountains, a few hours from Arusha and at least 7 hours from Dar is Salaam is really the place for getting away from all the hustle and bustle of the coastal towns. Crisp mountain air, brisk walking in the rain forest and eating organic food at a farm - something completely different after strolling on the narrow streets of Zanzibar Town, munching greasy chapattis and samosas all day.

Yesterday I really felt like being in Finland again when I was having lunch at Irente Farm, a few kilometres from Lushoto. The table was filled with rye bread (yes! real rye bread...didn't believe I would find that in Tanzania, in the middle of the mountains!), "the tastiest cheese in Tanzania", delicious jam, fresh vegetables and juice. Soon it also started to rain a bit, it got chilly and I had to add a sweater on top of my T-shirt. I felt happy :) Don't get me wrong, I really like the hot climate too, but after sweating for so many months just being able to climb/walk uphill without that much effort just feels great!

Today I am just planning to visit a Montessori convent/hotel a few kilometres away, look around and just breathe...the air here feels like it heals. My nerves were already tightening a bit during my one hour and something in the bank this morning. Advice for travellers: it definitely is not a good idea to go change your travellers' checks in the beginning of the month, when all workers are getting their salaries withdrawn from the bank...the only bank in Lushoto apparently is going to open an ATM soon. Which meant that about half of the population of Lushoto was filling applications for getting their brand new ATM cards. Oh well, I got my money in the end. Now it's time for another healthy walk again!

Good-bye Zanzibar, welcome Tampere (and Germany!)

Apologies for not updating for some time. My last weeks and days in Zanzibar were frankly just too hectic: trying to photocopy, write down, interview and otherwise absorb as much information as possible. On the research process and exhilirating interview experiences I will write something later in Finnish - let's just say that it involved dirty jokes and phrases such as "Patria o muerte, venceremos!"...

Thus I left Z'bar on Wednesday, with my new, heavy bag full of books and papers. I left most of my stuff at a friend's place in Dar so that exploring Tanzania would be a little less painful. Unfortunately I only have one week for my little tour, because I have to be (well, I don't HAVE TO be, but I kind of want to...) back in Dar for the Finnish independence day on the 6th of December, since all Finnish ex-pats are invited for the reception at the ambassador's residence.

After leaving Z'bar I stayed one night in Dar and continued then to Bagamoyo again. Mainly because it is close enough (just one hour by bus from Dar) and also one of the few places you can still get transport after 10am (most buses basicly everywhere leave before 9am). I had still some sights to visit there, too - I saw Kaole ruins with a mosque dating either 7th or 12th-13th century (it is not easy to be an archeologist or what !?) together with several tombs of eminent Muslims around and after that time. The well near the mosque is told to hold blessed water, maji ya baraka, and one of the tombs had incense and coins inside, left there as offerings. I was being told by the guide that even president Julius Kambarage Nyerere had been there asking for a blessing before the independence of Tanganyika (in 1964 changing its name into Tanzania, after forming the Union with Zanzibar). My little bicycle trip (10 kms or so) to Kaole demonstrated that three months is apparently not enough to form a protective tan against the rays of African sun, because during those two hours of cycling I managed to burn myself. Nordic skin is really not meant to stay here...

After one night in Dar, on Saturday I really took off. I would like to describe yesterday as a day of minor disappointments. The first was that I didn't get a bus to Lushoto as I was hoping for. I had read about the infernal bus station in Dar, and although it was smaller than I expected, it was indeed quite frustrating. It felt more like playing a part in a farce, when half a dozen of guys are yelling at each other, all fighting over the obvious commission on the bus ticket they were trying to sell me. After a while I just sighed, refused to give my money to anyone before seeing the actual bus and went inside to wait for the end result of the quarrel. Then I decided that instead of taking some shady bus company with no brakes and a maniac driver (I'm not overexaggerating that much!) I would change my destination from Lushoto to Tanga and opt for the most appealing bus company, at least by name: Scandinavia Express. The bus itself wasn't that disappointing though, but I didn't quite see the "semi luxury" that was promised...But hey, I did get two seats for myself + free water bottle and crackers!

The driver was being extraordinarily slow - there must've been something wrong with the bus - so we arrived in Tanga almost six hours later (was supposed to take 4-5 hours). I misread my map in the guide book and didn't thus quite find the places on the map, reading it from the wrong side of the railway tracks. Also, all the inexpensive hotels in the centre of town seemed to be full, because dozens of football players were practising there since two weeks. I managed to get a room from the third place I asked, from MK Inn (forgot to ask what those MK stand for), which must be one of the tallest and ugliest buildings in whole of Tanga. After finding a place to stay, I needed some food. Which was again a somewhat disappointing experience. Being tired and hungry, I opted for a thali in Patwas Restaurant, supposedly an Indian place. What I got looked and tasted mistakingly like Finnish pea soup with rice. Which would be fine, if you weren's paying 5000 TSH (3 euros, double the price for local Tanzanian food) and expecting to have a spicy Indian dish. Pouring the remainders of the chilli sauce botttle on top of the plate didn't really change the taste. Yep, it was pea soup.

At this point I should probably explain the title of this post - to me Tanga somehow looks like Tampere of Tanzania. Tanga is supposed to be the 3rd biggest town in Tanzania (a bit like Tampere in Finland?), it has straight, surfaced streets, little shops, factories, but it is very calm. Although the lakes are replaced by the Indian Ocean and mustamakkara by Indian food and chicken & chips. And it is humid with + 30 degrees Celsius...but still, it felt like Tampere to me! I also went out in the evening to a club called La Casa Chica. Didn't see the football players - or I don't know if would recognise them anyway without socks and shorts - but then I met some crazy South Africans, Scandinavians and a white Swahili ("my father is from Pemba, my mother from Mombasa"). So today I am a bit tired :)

As for the Germany, just a brief comment: I managed to get to Lushoto today finally, after 5 hours of travelling. I expected a lot from Lushoto - that it would be hilly, green and cold. My expectations were more than fulfilled, I am totally in love with this place! It feels so refreshing after sweating on the coast for three months, people are genuinely nice, there are lots of flowers everywhere and...it is just nice. The German aspect comes from the houses, many of which look very pretty, clean, and are made of bricks - haven't seen that in other places. During German colonial rule Lushoto was called Wilhelmstaal, and was apparently quite important then. But anyway, I'm liking it, and staying here at least until Tuesday!