Quarter-life Crisis: Asia 2008

I have been back in the US for two months since the end of my quarter-life crisis travels, and have discovered something unsettling: my wanderings did not solve the crisis. Worse–they prompted it!

Yes, I am finally having the oft-mentioned crisis. Fortunately, I am not disposed to sit around and wallow in a problem, so I’m working on the solution.

But that is another post in itself. Today, as I sit in my apartment wearing my Thai fisherman pants, I’m ready to close out my adventures around the globe by answering some of the questions I’ve been asked.

What was your favorite country?
Finland and Nepal. I can’t pick between them, because they both offered such different experiences. Nepal was by far the most foreign place I’ve ever visited, and Finland was by far the least foreign. Riding through Kathmandu in the death taxi was an introduction to an exotic, filthy, crowded, fantastic place; stepping out of the bus in Tampere felt like coming home. I can’t wait to revisit both places!

What was the most useful thing you packed?
Aside from a huge bottle of Motrin (excellent for altitude headaches), the most useful thing was a cell phone with no service. Sounds weird, but it came in handy on so many occasions that I’ll never travel alone without one again. I pretended to make phone calls and send text messages whenever I needed an easy way to avoid contact with creepy men and ditch pushy salespeople. It’s a safety device, too–instead of wearing a fake wedding ring, I’d simply end conversations with potentially dangerous characters by pulling out the phone and saying, “oh, I need to call my husband/boyfriend/friends/tour group leader/guide/etc.” A simple, non-confrontational way to give the impression that I was not alone. I recommend it to all solo female travelers.

…plus, in times when entertainment is scarce, it’s fun to hold outrageous (one-sided) conversations just to see the reactions of other travelers..

What was the least useful thing you packed?
My Chaco sandals. I didn’t wear them once. Perhaps if I’d traveled more in warmer climates and done more water activities…

What do you wish you had packed?
Another pair of jeans and some nice clothes for days when I just couldn’t deal with the backpacker look.

What was the best experience?
Hmm. The most exciting was the Everest Base Camp trek. The most heart-warming was my two weeks in Finland, for the people and the feeling that it was “my” country. The most communal was getting to know Tuscany and Italians closely, and I miss the food like mad. I also loved swinging on the giant swings while tubing in Laos, seeing Erin and Felix in Hong Kong, meeting characters from all over the world, and singing “The Sound of Music” to the yak. Really, though, there wasn’t an experience I don’t look back on fondly, even the thief in Bangkok and days of throwing up in Laos.

Is there anything you’ll do differently next time?
Stay longer!

And finally, the question that only a few people have asked and that has been the hardest to answer: what did you learn?
The first time anyone asked me that, I stuttered for a few minutes and failed to come up with an answer. How could I possibly edit the things I learned into a quick soundbyte? I’ve had a bit of time to think about it, and I think the main thing I discovered is that humans have incredible strength. Even in Nepal, where the economy is crap, the government is nuts, and there’s a shortage of just about everything, the people are amazing and strong and living their lives happily. And it’s the same everywhere–people exist in absolutely horrendous situations and thrive despite it all. Maybe it was being witness to that kind of strength that helped me realize my own–I keep thinking of the feeling I had as I walked back down the mountains after reaching Everest Base Camp: strong mentally, strong physically, and completely confident in my ability to do things that are scary and hard and seemingly impossible.

So, the moral of the story is: go, do the thing that is too hard or too scary or too undone. You’ll be better for it.

And finally, upcoming travel plans…Nicaragua in January!!

Album URL: http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/Finland1

One of my favorite ways to entertain myself while traveling alone is to pick out people in the local culture that look like people I know back home. (Many of you reading this have Nepali, Thai, Arab, and Italian look-alikes.) Here in Finland, I can’t walk ten feet without spotting someone who’s a dead ringer for a friend or relative. My cousin Kim has about 20 Finnish identical twins in Kuopio alone. The game loses its novelty here but retains all of the entertainment by virtue of sheer numbers.

I couldn’t have chosen a better place for the final leg of my quarter-life crisis travels. Finland is the least foreign foreign country I’ve ever visited–an excellent place to begin the (not quite welcome) transition back to real life. Travelers talk about coming to a country and feeling a sense of coming home. I’ve always wanted to feel that, and now I have…but I’m not sure if it’s a deep, mystic connection or the fact that Finland is basically the UP, with more trees and people.

I couldn’t love it more.

We happened to be in Kuopio during Wappu (or Vappu, however you spell it), a celebration of…well, I’m not sure what. Independence day, maybe? From what I could see, it seemed to be three days of Finns coming out into the beautiful spring weather, and drinking heavily while wearing their high school graduation caps (which resemble some kind of sailor/golf hat hybrid). Great fun, and lovely to see these reserved people out enjoying themselves in the sun.

All right, back into the sun–what’s this I hear about a snow storm at home? That’s it, I’m not coming back!

After a delightful (and productive) day of shopping in Bologna, Catherine and I are all packed and ready to depart from my beloved Tuscany. Has it really been two months? It seems that spring is finally here to stay, and I leave behind riotous green hills and early blooms washed in the famous Tuscan light. Though I’ll miss the peace of these hills, I go without sadness, but with gratitude for the experience and excitement for adventures to come.

I end my volunteer work with many things: new friends, excellent olive oil, a greater understanding of Italian, and the ability to make hospital corners…to name just a few. Not least of all, I’ve learned an important lesson: during your next hotel stay, appreciate the housekeeping staff. Just as being a waitress made me appreciate the hard work of servers in restaurants everywhere, helping with housekeeping has given me new respect for people who clean for a living. (Not that I didn’t respect them before, but you never KNOW until you know…you know?) When there were big groups here, I helped the housekeeping volunteers–making beds, cleaning rooms, cleaning toilets–it is seriously hard work. And disgusting, most of the time. I’ll spare you the details, but imagine 60 German teenagers, no parents, a low drinking age, and endless beer. So, the next time you’re at a hotel, don’t puke in the sink…or if you do, clean it up.

Tomorrow–well, in about three hours (can’t sleep)–Catherine and I are off to Riomaggiore in the Cinque Terre on the coast of Italy. (!!) To see a photo of the town, go to: http://www.tessinpapa.ch/liguria/photo/manabv.jpg On Wednesday we’ll do the obligatory photos with the leaning tower of Pisa before flying to Frankfurt, and on Thursday, we fly into Tampere in Finland to begin the final (and much-anticipated) leg of my quarter-life crisis travels.

I’ll write next from the motherland!

Photo URL: http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/Cortona

Yesterday, after weeks of failed attempts, I finally made it to Cortona. One of the other volunteers (Susanne from Germany) came along, and we braved the cold, driving rain, and a 7am bus/train combo to get to the Camucia station. With the next bus to Cortona two hours away, we decided to walk the 5k up the hill and take advantage of the break in the clouds. Naturally, the rain resumed halfway through the hike, and we raced up the hill on my slippery “shortcut” of Italian alleyways and deserted two-track roads.

Thankfully, Susanne has a well-developed sense of humor.

Cortona is the perfect little Italian town perched on the top of a hill just south of Arezzo. Because of the hilltop location, all of the streets are angled and steep, with exciting staircases built into tunnels and endless hidden passages. Unlike the modern houses that litter (literally, they’re gross) the valley below, the buildings in Cortona are all beautiful ancient stone creations built in an eclectic mix of architectural styles. Unavoidable, I suppose, in a town that’s around 3000 years old. Stone seems to me to hold more history than any other material, and Cortona radiates with the feeling of past occupants. And I love that an Italian teenager with skinny jeans and enormous sunglasses could be sitting in the very same spot where, 3000 years ago, an Etruscan dried pottery. Or, you know, whatever Etruscans did.

As you may know, author Frances Mayes bought and renovated a villa outside of Cortona and wrote “Under the Tuscan Sun” about the experience–which, of course, was turned into a movie. I am only slightly embarrassed to admit that I liked the movie more than the book, and was hoping to recognize a place or two from the film. We climbed to the top of the hill, chatting along the way in broken Italian with an old woman on her way to the market, and wandered around the rather uninspiring church at the top. The weather kept all but the hardiest tourists away, and we had the place to ourselves. On the way down, we found the Piazza della Repubblica, which was immediately recognizable as the location for several scenes in the movie. A few photos satisfied my interest in movie locations and we went back to exploring–the rain deterred us from walking out to the real Bramasole, Mayes’ house.

Cortona is a ridiculously pleasant place to be–even in the rain, and even for Italy, which is filled with pleasant places. It’s like something out of an idealistic movie. Women call to each other through open doors and windows across the narrow cobblestone streets, the mailman makes cheerful conversation with everyone on his route, and shopkeepers display their fruit and flowers outside of the stores. The town seems to be populated with an odd mix of delightfully stereotypical Italian old men, British business owners, and the aforementioned hardy tourists, who, oddly enough, all seemed to be American. Nice, respectful, Americans. No fanny packs or white Nikes in sight!

If it had been sunny, I’d have been tempted to stay forever. As it was, though, the rain and cold drove us away after an amazing lunch at a tiny trattoria, but the next time I’m in Italy, Cortona will be one of my first stops. And some day, perhaps Frances Mayes and I will be neighbors.

It is my belief that the town of San Gimignano does not exist. It is fictional, Tuscany’s answer to Avalon (or was that an island?), or Atlantis, or El Dorado.

Or if it does exist, I certainly couldn’t find it. Inspired by the lovely weather (and the fact that I overslept and miss the early train for Cortona), I hopped on a train for Siena, got off at the San Gimignano stop…and no San Gimignano. (Thanks to Google images, I knew what to expect.) Not to be deterred, I climbed the nearest hill for a 360 view…and no San Gimignano. At that point, I lost my determination (and interest) and decided to explore a town that does exist. It turned out to be lovely, and I discovered hiking trails and an Etruscan excavation site at the top of the hill. A thoroughly enjoyable day despite the change in plans. (I imagine San Gimignano requires a bus ride.)

Life at the villa is lovely, as always, but growing a bit stale. I crave adventure and routine in equal measure, and I believe that my tolerance for the latter is coming to an end. As such, I am planning an Italian excursion for later this week–Cortona, Venice, and Verona, perhaps. If only the French Riviera was a bit warmer at this time of year…