Bears with antlers - Karhunkierros-hike

All the way back in 2000 my then brand new hiking boots required to be broken in prior to putting them to a real test against Africa's highest mountain. Me & my travel companions decided to test a piece of Finland's most favourite hike, Karhunkierros, which was right around the neighbourhood -- at least when comparing to Tanzania.

Meeting with Twelve Gods - Summiting Mount Olympos in Greece

Ever wonder where lightnings are originated from? Apparently they are coming from the Stefani peak on Mount Olympus in Greece, where great old Zeus is hurling thunderbolts during yet another of his characteristics petty scenes of anger management failure. The whole mountain is literally infested with Gods and lesser deities. Pretty much each of the steep gorges, grottoes and 52 separate peaks is littered with one of the Olympiad or their siblings or offspring. Stefani peak is not the highest point on the Olympus however. The famous twelve Gods met and had their less civil moments of discussion on the peak called Mytikas (2917 m), which is also the highest point in Greece. Guess where I was headed to back in July of 2012. 

Boiling in onsen - Summiting Mount Fuji

Symmetrical Mount Fuji (富士山, Fujisan) is a distinctive image of Japan. The mountain has been prominent in many pictures and paintings of Japan ever since from 14th century. For example there is the famous series of 36 Views of Mount Fuji by Japanese woodblock print artist Hokusai. Given that one of my friends was (and is) living in Tokyo, I had a great opportunity to visit this iconic mountain myself back in August 2008.

Snows of Kilimanjaro

Why would anyone living in Finland want to escape the first snow of winter in December to probably only place near equator where there is always snow? I had packed with me a collection of Ernest Hemingway's short stories, including the famous Snows of Kilimanjaro. I was determined to experience those snows myself.

Going off on an adventure

All good things may come to an end (like the final episode of ST:TNG), yet every ending contains also a new beginning. I rather enjoyed documenting in a blog format my life and times while on an assignment in Singapore. While it was enjoyable to actually see that my ramblings were being viewed by thousands of folks globally, the most important takeaway for myself was twofold: now with hindsight I have realized that I am thoroughly enjoyed reading the old blog posts myself -- apparently the narrative format of documenting my own feelings and initial awe is something that just plain pictures cannot convey. In addition I noticed now that the old blog has finally come to an end, something is missing from my life. I found pleasure in the process of creative writing.