On the Road, Far From Home

Montevideo, Uruguay

The first week is done, and so far we've made our way from Helsinki to Madrid, from Madrid to Montevideo, and now along the coast to Colonia del Sacramento. Right now I’m writing this from the hotel café in Colonia. Sini and the backpacker junior are at the hotel pool, and the café is almost quiet – just a couple of locals with laptops (probably working), thermoses and mate cups. From the TV in the corner there’s a steady stream of rapid Spanish chatter that I only half understand.

Helsinki: Warming Up the Engines

The whole thing properly started back in Helsinki, on Independence Day. We had breakfast at Sokos Hotel Tripla, where we stayed the night. From there we took the local train out to the airport. At the gate we burned off some energy by playing tag at the little play area near gate 20, and refuelled with hamburgers before boarding. The take-off was exciting (as always) especially for the kid – engines roaring, the ground dropping away – but pretty soon the excitement turned into routine, and the four-hour flight went by surprisingly smoothly.

In Madrid we walked what felt like half a marathon through the airport to get our bags, then happily swapped long corridors for the metro. Three stops later we were at “our” station, and from there it was just a short walk to the hotel. Even though it was already past normal bedtime, we decided to grab something from the hotel restaurant: apple juice and nachos with guacamole, salsa and cheese sauce for the kid, a beer and some excellent jamón ibérico for the adults. Then teeth brushed and lights out – travel day one complete.

Madrid: Soft Landing Before the Big Jump

The next morning came without any real jet lag, just a pleasant “we travelled yesterday” heaviness. We headed down to the hotel breakfast, and managed – with a mix of Spanish and English – to get an egg-free plate organised for the junior straight from the kitchen. Our son’s egg allergy adds its own little twist to travelling and gives our Spanish a proper workout every time we try to explain it clearly enough. Small victories, big impact.

After breakfast we set off to explore Parque Juan Carlos I, just next to the hotel. A short walk from the entrance turned into a much longer one as we realised how big the park actually is. There were wide open paths, odd sculptures, and most importantly: playground after playground after playground. Our 5-year-old happily cycled through slides, climbing frames and whatever else he could find, and we had no reason to hurry him along. 

Later we decided it was time to meet the city centre. We took the metro from Feria de Madrid, changed a couple of times and eventually climbed out at Sol into full-on pre-Christmas chaos. A huge Christmas tree dominated the square, and the streets around it were absolutely packed with people.

From Sol we walked to Plaza Mayor, weaving our way through crowds, lights, stalls and people who all seemed to be going somewhere slightly faster than we were. It was fun for a while, but we escaped down a side street and found Bottega Café, a much calmer pocket of the city. Coffee for the parents, a Coke for the kid, and ten minutes where nobody needed to dodge strollers or apologise for bumping into strangers.

Back outside, we kept walking and suddenly there it was: Palacio Real de Madrid. In front of the palace a group of street performers had drawn a crowd, and we stopped to watch people dancing, flipping and throwing themselves into sideways somersaults that made our small spectator stare with wide eyes.

Street dancers at Palacio Real de Madrid

From there we wandered on to La Latina, where we stopped at Cañas y Tapas: tapas for the adults, French fries for the smaller member of the crew. Afterwards we did a quick run through a supermarket for supplies, and then took the metro back to the hotel with multiple changes. By the time we got off at our stop again, everyone was solidly, satisfyingly tired – exactly the way you want to feel after your first full day in a new city.

Monday in Madrid, preparing for the Midnight Flight

Our last full day in Madrid started much like the previous one: back at the park, hunting for new playgrounds and letting the little one burn off energy. By this point my nose was starting to run a bit, and I was optimistically trying to tame it with allergy meds, convinced it was “just a bit of something in the air”.

From the park we took the metro to Nuevos Ministerios, where we met up with Erika, Sini’s cousin who lives in Madrid, and headed to the Christmas market. Among other things there was a big Christmas nativity-style display full of little figures – and, hidden among them, a small pooping character you were supposed to spot for good luck. Apparently this is actually a real tradition, even if it sounds like something someone invented after a few too many glasses of wine.

From the market we walked to a paella restaurant. We had a reservation and arrived a bit early, so while we waited for our table I took the junior to a nearby playground, where he hesitantly but bravely climbed up a big slide clearly marked for 6–12 year olds – and then did it again. And again. And again. Confidence: unlocked.

Later we hopped on a bus to go and see a park lit up with Christmas lights, and then it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up the backpacks we’d left in storage. We’d almost managed a clean getaway, but Erika’s small gift had ended up at the bottom of my backpack, so she had to come by along with us before we left.

Our flight to Montevideo left just before midnight. The kiddo held on impressively long, staying awake until about 1:30 am, before finally falling asleep curled up in front of the in-flight entertainment screen. The adults weren’t far behind. At that point I was still convincing myself the runny nose and heavy head were just allergies and a long day – the next morning in Montevideo would prove me very wrong.

Montevideo: New Continent, Uninvited Fever

By the time we landed in Montevideo, it was clear that my “probably just allergies” theory hadn’t aged well.

Stepping out of the plane, I felt lightheaded, shaky and very aware of every step between passport control and the exit. After getting our luggage we headed straight to a McDonald’s, because I urgently needed a cold Coke, a coffee and a place to just sit for a moment. Every now and then that light, unreal feeling washed over me again – not exactly the state you hope for when you arrive in a new country. We ordered a Cabify – immediately renamed “käpytaksi” (a pinecone cab) by the junior – and made it to our Airbnb apartment without any extra drama, which was pretty much all I could ask for at that point.

View from our apartment building's rooftop

The rest of that first day in Uruguay was very simple:

I tried to drink as much as I could and admitted defeat to a fever that climbed past 38°C.

Sini did the brave “first supermarket mission” on her own.

Our son made himself at home with toys, TV and whatever energy he had left after a long night.

The supermarket run came with a gentle welcome-to-Uruguay moment at the checkout: three small cans of tuna somehow added up to around ten euros. New continent, new currency, same old “wait, how much was that again?” feeling.

Later, we decided to “just quickly” check out the nearby shopping mall and Tienda Inglesa.

It wasn't the best idea after all.

At some point I found myself standing there with red, tired eyes, staring at a security guard while my brain completely refused to process anything – prices, directions, what we were even trying to buy. The lightheaded, floaty feeling had turned from occasional to pretty much constant. The guard probably pegged me as some kind of spaced-out weirdo, and I’m genuinely surprised he didn’t decide to follow us around just in case.

The next morning started with more fever and those annoying little waves of dizziness that make even normal walking feel like a contact sport. With enough water and medication, things slowly started to improve, and at some point we decided that staying inside all day would feel worse than shuffling around outside.

So we picked a simple mission:

walk to the big Montevideo sign for the obligatory photo

continue down to the beach

grab food and do one more supermarket run on the way back

The little one’s energy levels were much higher than the adults’, which is usually ok – except when combined with selective listening. Let’s just say we got an early training session in “how to handle a strong-willed 5-year-old in a new city when everyone is tired”. No disasters, just a reminder that this trip will be also about parenting as much as the fun stuff.

in the Old Town

Once the worst of the fever had passed, we were ready to actually see Montevideo rather than just its nearest supermarket. We headed to the old town and walked along palm-lined streets toward the harbour area. There was, naturally, a playground on the way — which we had no choice but to test properly.

Palm-lined streets

From there we continued to Mercado del Puerto (the Port Market), where we ate at Cabaña Veronica. It was our first proper steak of the trip, accompanied by really good chimichurri that could probably make almost anything taste better.

After lunch we walked a bit more and ordered a Cabify back to the apartment, cooked something simple for the next day, and called it a day.

Hard Rock Cafe, Huge Sandwiches and a Tiny Ship Captain

The next day turned into a slightly more commercial adventure: our target was Hard Rock Cafe Montevideo.

It was pretty close so we walked there, picked up cold drinks and T-shirts for the grown-ups, and then headed to a nearby playground where junior immediately appointed himself captain of a large play-ship.

On the way back I went hunting for a local delicasy: a chivito – Uruguay’s take on the ultimate steak sandwich, a full-on comfort-food monster. I went to Chiviteria Marcos and ordered a Chivito Marcos Completo to go. It came with fries and the bag must have weighed over two kilograms!

Chivito Marcos Completo

This particular version was big enough that even with both adults eating from it, a sizeable portion still ended up in the fridge for later. Not the lightest meal of the trip, but definitely one of the more memorable ones so far. The rest of the day consisted of chilling in the apartment, researching bus timetables, reserving tickets and spending some time at the pool.

Parque Rodó, Walking Detours and Ninja Manouvers

Saturday started in the best possible way for a 5-year-old: a morning at the apartment complex's pool.

After that, we ordered a Cabify towards Parque Rodó, planning to take the scenic beach route. However the coastal road was surprisingly closed because of a rock concert being set up, so we had to take a detour.

At some point on the walk, our son was riding piggyback on Sini’s back, and her foot caught the edge of the pavement. What followed looked suspiciously like an accidental ninja roll onto the sidewalk – backpack, child and all. Thanks to good reflexes (and maybe a bit of luck), they walked away with just a few scrapes and a higher heart rate. We’ll file that under “things we don’t necessarily need to repeat, but will definitely remember”.

We eventually made it to Parque Rodó and the small local amusement park. Unfortunately the kids’ rides were closed, so we settled for watching other people spinning around in the heat, wandered a bit more through the park and then headed back.

By the end of the day we’d done around five kilometres in the sun, and our short-legged travel companion handled it super bravely on foot. Back at the apartment there was a well-earned ice cream waiting – sometimes the best way to end a day.

Colonia del Sacramento: Turning the Volume Down

We had an early breakfast on Sunday, confidently convinced that packing, tidying up and getting out the door would be quick and painless. It wasn’t — and I have to admit we’re hopeless time optimists even back home, not just in travel mode.. Somehow it always takes longer than planned, and by the time everything was finally ready it was already close to 10:30. Still, we made it just in time, ordered a Cabify to Tres Cruces, and hopped on the bus.

Our ride

About two and a half hours later, we arrived in Colonia del Sacramento.

After a short ten-minute walk we found our hotel, Hotel Leoncia, checked in, dropped the bags in the room and immediately felt the pace drop a notch. 

We didn’t waste much time before heading out again, walking towards the old town. Cobblestone streets, low buildings and that unmistakable “this place has seen things” atmosphere kicked in pretty quickly. Lunch found us at Restaurant Picasso, where we ordered two good sized pizzas.

Colonia del Sacramento

With full stomachs, we slowly wandered back to the hotel. The pizzas had done their job a bit too well, and by the time evening rolled around there was no need for dinner at all.

Monday in Colonia: Tourists 1 – Double Pricing 0

We started by strolling along the main street (Gral. Flores) to a barbershop where the junior got a haircut. The cut itself was perfectly fine — but the place lost a couple of points for trying to charge us double. The price on their website was 400, but suddenly at the counter it was 800. Luckily these tourists were awake enough to pull out a phone, show their own website, and magically the price returned to normal. Funny how that works.

After that we continued via a playground (obviously) and walked a bit out of town to a waterfront restaurant, Puerto Cañón to enjoy refreshments and some loaded fries. Then we headed back towards the old town for coffee, and later ended up at A la Pipetuá Bistro — a place we first walked past, but it looked too good not to try. Great decision: the food was excellent.

Small cobblestone streets of Colonia

From there it was back to the hotel, where I started writing this blog post while Sini and the junior went for a swim. Turning a week of travel into words turns out to be a slower process than moving between countries, and right now I’m finishing this post in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But that’s another story for later...

Nice to See an Old Friend Again

Hello again, our dear old friend. It’s been a while.

The last few times I wrote here, we were somewhere between hot springs in New Zealand, turquoise water in Samoa and stone alleys in Rhodes. It was 2018, and we had just come back from a big round-the-world(ish) trip. People often call that kind of thing a “once in a lifetime” journey, but to me it’s really more about mindset. With the right priorities, there can be plenty of big trips in one life – and every single one is a once in a lifetime experience in its own unique way.

Opening this blog again feels a bit like finding an old travel notebook at the back of a bookshelf – a bit dusty, but the moment you flip it open, you’re right back there. Sulfur in Rotorua. Sticky heat in Apia. Feta and gyros in Athens. That soft, tropical haze over Koh Mook’s beaches. Delayed flights, random kindness from strangers, and that lovely feeling of being very far from home and exactly where you’re supposed to be.

A lot has happened since then.

So, What Have We Been Up To?

Short version:

• We went home.

• We went back to work.

• We did normal life things.

• We kept talking about “the next big trip” in that “someday, maybe” way.

• And somewhere along the way, we went from two travellers to three.

Back in 2018 it was just the two of us. Now we travel as a trio: two adults and one 5-year-old who has strong opinions about playground quality, pizza, and which seat on the airplane is objectively the best.

He’s only heard stories about those earlier adventures – but this time, he’s very much part of the story.

The Blog Was Quiet. We Weren’t.

This blog has been quiet, but we haven’t been completely still.

There haven’t been any multi-month, round-the-world style trips since 2018, but there have been plenty of smaller adventures that kept the travel bug very much alive. Here's a short list of highlights:

• Staying with our Dutch friends in the Netherlands – 2019 for King’s Day and flower fields, 2023 for cosy pre-Christmas vibes including Sea World, lots of train watching with the kids and a very important meeting with Sinterklaas.

• A trip to Vienna in early 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic when masks started appearing in the streets – though the first moment we really noticed the shift was actually at Helsinki Airport, where almost every Asian traveller was already wearing one. It felt like a quiet sign that something much bigger was about to unfold. Vienna was also special because we got engaged on the Giant Ferris Wheel.

• Budapest in November 2021 – Our son’s first trip abroad, joined also by his grandma (my mum). We ended up in a huge suite we got with just a small extra fee, which felt almost comically spacious with a toddler running laps across the room. We spent a day at the Budapest Zoo, which was a big hit for the smallest member of the crew. The food was also seriously good.

• Lake Bled – Piran – Pula – Medulin road trip, April 2022.
  I flew to Venice with a couple of friends, we rented a car and planned to drive to Ljubljana and Lake Bled… until we checked the rain radar. In true flexible-traveller fashion, we turned the steering wheel south instead and headed to sunny Piran, continued down the coast to Pula and Medulin, and visited the Postojna cave system on the way back. Pure, beautiful spontaneity...and honestly, the sort of trip that quietly whispers “we should do this again” (Miikka and Vesku, you’ve been warned)

• A handful of work trips to Rotterdam 2022, -23, with enough free time to explore the city’s food halls and street food spots, and to get a feel for the city beyond meeting rooms. 

• A six-week workation in Fuengirola spring 2023, with the first and last week off from work – a soft test of combining everyday life, laptops and beach walks. We only had a rental car for a couple of day trips, which did wonders for the step count: Fuengirola’s hills plus everyday errands meant roughly 200 km of walking in a month. Thanks to Renfe being free at the time, hopping on a local train felt almost too easy, and we used it a lot. We also did simple day trips to Málaga and Nerja caves, Mijas, Gibraltar and Caminito del Rey. Altogether it felt like a nice blend of “living there for a bit” and still seeing a lot.

• My first-ever package holiday to the Canary Islands in April last year 2024 – which, I must admit, challenged my inner backpacker identity a little. The classic “all-inclusive, don’t leave the hotel for two weeks” crowd has never really been our tribe. But honestly? It was easier, sunnier and far more enjoyable than I expected. We went with a friend family, so the kid had a buddy his own age to run around with, which made the whole trip even better. And yes — Lollo & Bernie kept the kids entertained, and the boy still sleeps with his little Lollo plush toy to this day.

• A 40th birthday trip to Croatia among friends (I won't list you all, you know who you are) also last year 2024, and from there a solo continuation to Sarajevo – a city that wasn’t on my wish list for long, but ended up being one of the most memorable surprises. The red-painted “rose” markings from mortar impacts, the beautiful hills surrounding the city, the areas still marked with yellow tape and landmine warnings… The traces of the war are unmistakable, yet the city is warm, fascinating and full of life.

• And most recently this year 2025, a spring trip to Croatia and Montenegro with a friend (shoutout to Ville). Montenegro is one of those places we definitely need to return to someday – stunning landscapes, great seafood, slightly less touristy than Croatia, though you can see tourism slowly growing there too.

• A couple of Sini’s solo escapes as well – a 2023 getaway to Nice and Antibes with long seaside walks, unapologetic day drinks and that rare, unhurried time with friends we don’t get to see nearly often enough. And a trip to the Italian countryside in September 2025 for a friend’s wedding (great people, a beautiful villa, tiny villages and a lot of happy tears and laughter).

None of these felt big enough on their own to start a “new season” of the blog at the time (although I did consider it during our workation) – but together they’ve been important stepping stones. They reminded us that travel doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and that good things happen when we keep making space for them.

The world is different. So are we... Kind Of.

Since we last wrote here, the world has been through… a lot.
And while we haven’t exactly reinvented ourselves as travellers, a few things have changed — mostly because travelling with a 5-year-old requires a slightly different approach than wandering around Asia with a $5 guesthouse and questionable electric wiring right next to the shower (not that I wouldn’t happily sleep in that tiny village guesthouse in Laos again – or in similar places elsewhere in the world, with a hard, slightly questionable mattress and no frills at all; there’s a strange kind of rough-around-the-edges charm to all of it).

These days we do a bit more planning.
Not colour-coded spreadsheets, but enough to make sure the place we stay actually functions, the neighbourhood is safe, and there’s at least a theoretical chance of a playground somewhere nearby.

We think more about daily rhythm and safety, too.
Not in an anxious way — just the basic “maybe let’s not take the midnight bus through the mountains this time” kind of wisdom.

But the essence is the same:
we still like to wander, follow instincts, change plans on the fly and keep space for the unexpected. Even with a bit more preparation, we’re not doing minute-by-minute itineraries. (We’re not that grown-up.)

Why are we bringing this blog back from the dead right now?

Because the big wheels have been turning for a while, and something bigger is quietly bubbling under the surface.

I just had my last day at work  before taking some time off (thank you Jukka for making this possible), and let’s just say the next chapters of this blog won’t be written from our living room. We’ve got flights booked, places to stay sorted, and enough planning done to feel prepared — but also enough gaps to keep things interesting.

The next update should come from somewhere on the road, hopefully with a coffee in hand, a slightly confused sleep schedule and that familiar “okay, this just got real” feeling.

So yes, it’s nice to see an old friend again. Let’s see where we end up this time. Stay tuned! 🌍✈️

In the land of Ouzo and Zorbas

During our lazy days in Samoa we had some time to plan our next move. We went through all kinds of route plans including Japan and USA among others but ended up booking a flight from Auckland via Sydney via Singapore all the way to Athens, Greece. One of the reasons was that the tickets from Singapore to Athens felt dirt cheap being less than 300€ per person. And besides, who doesn't love Greek food ;D

Before going to Europe we stayed two nights in Auckland in a lovely airbnb place nearby the airport. We ended up taking a taxi there after many failed Über tries (the drivers didn't want to take such a short trip). Our Airbnb had lovely hosts and a lovely house, but when its dark and you're in a new place it can be tricky to find the right house. Not saying that we intruded some random Samoan resident's home when the front door was open or anything... 🙄

We didn't have much time in Auckland between our flights but still we were still fortunate enough to visit Pasifika Festival and meet our friend from Brisbane and some of her family members also. It was precious and we are so much looking forward for meeting again hopefully in the near future, maybe in Finland this time :)

The following day we took public transportation to Auckland airport. Our layover in Sydney was short but in Singapore we had to wait for few hours.. The company we flew to Europe with was called Scoot and as you might expect there were no personal touch screens or other luxuries included in the 266,19€ (with luggage!) price. Luckily the 11 hour flight left early in the morning around  3 am and we got some sleep during the journey.

We got to Athens March 27th around 10 am and went for a morning coffee straight away as there was no service on the plane and our journey from Aucland had taken nearly 26 hours. There was plenty of time to plan our route to our accommodation as our check in at Olympion Hotel started from 1 pm. With our caffeine-filled minds we had no trouble figuring out the best option and went to buy the train tickets to our destination. We did some waiting and after getting on the train and riding half an hour or so we got to the station we had googled. It seemed a little empty when we got off but we didn't pay too much attention on that at the moment although later on there was some trouble...

From the station there we had less than 10 minutes walk to our hotel.We checked in and almost immediately went to look for a grocery store. We found one nearby and being there shopping groceries in Europe using euros it felt weirdly familiar and foreign at the same time. Among other groceries we bought Ouzo which I've always hated but when in Rome (Athens)...

Back in Europe!

The essentials

After traveling all the way from New Zealand to Europe and not getting too much sleep we didn't do any sightseeing on our first day in Athens. One place we did visit though was a nearby restaurant called Fagourio. They didn't speak too much English there but we got our order through and the food was absolutely mouth watering and amazing! It was just a simple little place but it's very often the case with some of the best experiences. Little street food stalls in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, a modest bar in Koh Tao serving tasty Tom Yam, little sea food restaurant in Gdansk, tiny hole in the wall serving those tiny but so, so tasty tacos in Mexico.. Those are the places that stick to your mind.

Our first real taste of Greece

The next day was our only full day in Athens so we decided to visit Acropolis. It didn't take long to walk back to the train station where we arrived the day before. But when it was time to buy tickets there was no place to do that. The ticket machines were out of order and there was only a guard in the ticket booth so we continued our way along the tracks. After walking a while we got to another station and there... we faced the same situation. Only after a considerable walk we found a bigger station and there we got tickets for the train. We bought tickets for the next day also because our own station was a ghost place. It was a bit rainy when we got to Acropolis but we decided to visit there anyway. There were some Finns in the ticket booth queue so we tried to keep our silence :D

Views from Acropolis

Rest of the day we just strolled around Athens and looked for two restaurants that Mark Wiens had recommended in his vlogs. The restaurants worth visiting for are called Kostas Souvlaki and Mam. Kostas offers tasty gyro pitas and Mam delicious cheese pies (mm my mouth is watering just thinking about what we ate..). The next day we packed our stuff and took a train to the airport (luckily we had the tickets ready..). There we took the short flight to Rhodes.

Our ride to Rhodes

From Rhodes airport it was an easy bus ride to the center of the city. And our hotel was located very center indeed, it was conveniently named The Perfect Spot Luxury Apartments. If you're staying in Rhodes for more than few nights we highly recommend checking the place out. It was spacious and relatively cheap and, well, on the perfect spot.

We spent the next few days in Rhodes center and Old Town. If you're around and feeling hungry, be sure to check out Stavlos.

On Sunday we had a full schedule. First in the morning we took a good walk and visited Acropolis of Rhodes. Then we went back to our hotel to play some Tantrix and get ready for Throne of Helios 9D show (and Starbucks next door, gotta keep collecting those mugs ;p).

Morning walk near Acropolis of Rhodes

A game of Squiggle (Tantrix)

If you ask me to think Greece the first thing comes to mind would be a small tavern filled with people, live music and delicious food. The place we had dinner in (Kathopoulis Family Restaurant) was just like that and we really enjoyed the night! (usually stereotypes are bad but we'll let this one slip).

On our last day in Rhodes we hopped on a bus and traveled to Lindos. The place was full of cute small streets and the main thing there was to get all the way up to the fort but of course with out the help of the poor and cute donkeys.. We walked though. We saw the ruins from the outside and decided not to pay the touristy price for the ticket. So we went back down and visited a nice restaurant on the way instead. Greek salad and tzatziki never fails, really :)

Lindos

After Rhodes its was time to leave the clear blue waters behind and hop on the airplane and travel to Nyköping where we got a ok priced bus ride to Stockholm. There it was easy to navigate our way back to Finland. The ferry ride went through icy grey waters which felt so familiar (ugh) and also somehow very distant. And BAM. Then we were back home. Just like that. It was weird.. It was like we hadn't been anywhere but at the same time with all the memories of all the great places.

Memories from our trips together on the wall

What an amazing journey! <3

Afterword

If you have a travel bucket list, it just might happen that during your journeys the list does not shorten but instead grows longer. In our original plan we were supposed to stay 3 weeks in Philippines and fly home from Hong Kong. So I guess those go in the list. And when we were musing on our route options back home we grew more interest in visiting Japan. I've heard so many good things about Nepal, too, and that would be in the same general direction so add those too.. And of course the list is long already including places in Europe, Africa, Central and South America and who knows where. Maybe we'll write something here during some of our future trips. Or maybe we won't.
Traveling is a passion nonetheless and it's been it's own journey writing this blog, surprisingly time consuming for sure but a nice way to assemble our experiences. Thanks for our readers for traveling with us, we hope you liked staying with us. See you next time!

- Matias & Sini

Our route so far

Visiting Samoa and Some Moa

After NZ South Island we stayed couple of days in the North Island again before our trip to Samoa. It was cool to go back to our "roots" as we stayed again at the Bamber House. From there it was easy to get to the airport and to the city center. It was a bit bittersweet to go back to Auckland as I missed my mum and sis but.. It was also exciting :)
One year before we were planning to pack our bags and head out to the world my two (actually three) co-workers said farewells and went to see the world :) and now.. after 1,5 years it was time to see Sofia and Sebu again.. In Auckland NZ! Haha that was so cool! :)
So on one Saturday afternoon we met up on Queen Street and hopped on a ferry and went to the Waiheke Island. It was so nice to catch up as I had followed their journey through Instagram and got some good tips of places to visit. We had a great sunny and warm day at Waiheke Island playing frisbee golf, Tantrix and consuming beer on a beach. The night got even better when we tried unhealthy vegetarian food (by Lord of the Fries) talking about future plans and chilies in wrong places.. Good times 😎

A summer day well spent

Tantrix and beer on the beach

But yeah, that was the "Moa" part* of the story but the actual post is about Samoa.
What started as a joke in a bar in Bondi Beach Sydney turned out to be our reality and all of a sudden we were in a bumpy plane ride towards Samoa.

It took maybe 3-4 hours to get to Samoa from Auckland and when we got there we immediately noticed that we aren't in a super Western country anymore. The main terminal was under construction so we were guided to a nearby building for our immigration. There was a duty free "shop" consisting of one little stand in the corridor and a Samoan band wearing Samoan Talofa shirts was playing ukuleles and singing local island songs near the luggage belt. That was so special and thoughtful. We did not have any expectations whatsoever so it was all so exciting! When we arrived it was pitch black so we didn't see anything from the van's window and it was quite late when arriving to our accommodation in Apia, Talofa Inn. It was so late that no shops were open, they don't have any 24h 7/11 or gas stations there. But after a quick Google search we found a place of relief.. McDonald's! Oh hallelujah! And the best thing was that McD was just few blocks away and it was pretty much the only building staying open 24/7.

It was so dark and silent outside that I was super afraid to go out after 11pm in a strange place.. but we had to eat so my knight in not-so-shiny armor went to fetch some dinner for us. My hero <3

I can not even put into words how wonderful place Talofa Inn was. It's a small place in a wonderful location in Apia. Only 6 rooms, commodity kitchen, marvellous breakfast and smiling lovely ladies taking care of the people there. Talofa Inn was also a place where we met this one German/UK/Chinese guy and a Canadian girl.

Talofa Inn breakfast

Chatting at the breakfast table lead us to experience Samoa in a way we hadn't planned. Odin and Megan were heading to see the island of Upolu and we had the pleasure to join them. First we checked a 100m waterfall Papapapaitai and then got to swim in smaller one called Togitogiga (I am not making these names up...). Well Matias couldn't unfortunately swim as he had his new ink on him, but he got to enjoy the scenery still :) It was refreshing and amazing experience to have a dip. Also interesting experience as we met this local guy who first talked about his life and then laid his eyes on the Canadian girl trying to hook up with her behind the bathroom :D Well no time for hooking up as we had to rush to see what more the island had to offer ;D then we ended up in a paradise.. To Sua Ocean Trench. This place was so pretty with ocean view, small fales and clear water ocean trench where one can just chill and float. It had some scary ladders but I made it with Odin and Megan while Matias guarded our stuff and had his chill time enjoying few cold ones :)

Driving through the island

Togitogiga Waterfall

To Sua Ocean Trench

Chillin' in a fale

After the chill time we headed to explore the island little bit more.
We ended up in a tiny village of Uafato. The whole village was playing and enjoying some cricket like sport by the ocean and we actually drove through their playing field.. twice. Whoopsie. Luckily the village people were patient and let us move on in peace.
Odin was a good driver and we made back to Talofa Inn and cooked some dinner and we got introduced to Dhal soup :D ah.. that thing "saved" our lives later on our journey!

We stayed little over a week in Apia and we chilled, read books and wandered around a lot. We visited the fruit market and the flea market often and enjoyed the view of the ocean and the colorful bus terminal :) We also found an amazing restaurant called Paddles. It's a Italian restaurant founded by Italian guy who fell in love with a Samoan lady. You should always make a reservation, but if you forget and go just when it opens, you just might get lucky and get to have the marvelous food over there before the hustle. Especially the tuna and the salsa brings big smile to my face to this day :)

Apia bus terminal

Flea market

Mmm..

Heavenly tuna

We also visited The Cultural village of Samoa and that was an eye opener and amazing peak of Samoan history and the way of living there. We also got to taste some taro with Palusami and some fish made in umu, the tradition natural oven. The cultural village visit was free of charge but they accept donations so we felt it was good to give a little something back.

Umu cooking

Palusami is good!

We pondered should we go to visit Savai´i the bigger island and supposedly more beautiful island of Samoa but we counted our days and resources and wanted to try something fancy for a change instead. We booked our last 3 nights near the airport in a five star hotel. It was Sheraton Samoa Beach Resort and it was something else.

Breathtaking beach with hammocks and peace. Super friendly staff, swimming pool, good beer and big comfortable bed and also.. great food :) Though as we had our budget also in mind we weren't the typical five start residents.. oh no :) we had our own canned food! We had Dhal soup and dynamite chili meat mix and noodles with us! Matias, our chef "cooked" our delicious meal by putting the water heater on and filled the sink with hot water. Then he added our cans to heat up. After some waiting we had semi warm food to fill our tummies with. Haha it was silly but hey it made sense! The last night we spoiled ourselves and went to a Fia Fia night. Samoans are proud of their fire dance skills so the night meant good food, nice dance performances from ladies and gents of Samoa. Our waiter made sure we got good seats and what do you know we were invited to dance on the stage with the locals :D The fire dance later on was also cool! Or more like on fire! The guys are talented.

Sheraton Samoa Beach 

Life hacks

One of my favourite moments of all time

Samoan dance

Fia Fia Show

Ay ay ay :) I am smiling so much while writing this post by the way. 
I still drift away to the Sheraton hammock where we cuddled in an amazing sunset while listening to our favourites Robin and Popeda <3

If you ever get a change to visit this place.. do it. And bring your sun block and mosquito repellent.. The sun is hot and there is the possibility to get dengue or zika for example so stay safe and enjoy your life :)

Next for us it was time to work our way back to Europe and.. back home :) ️

*Oh and the headline.. The Moa part was NZ of course. Moa´s are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. But Moa is also a small brewery from Marlborough, New Zealand, offering a wide range of craft beer. So the Moa lives on after all.

- Sini

Our route so far

NZ South

On Thursday 8th of February we left Auckland and North Island behind and flew to Queenstown. I was gaping out of the plane window for a long time enjoying the amazing views as we approached the airport. Queenstown Airport is surrounded by beautiful mountains and lakes and it's definitely one of the most picturesque airports I've ever been to (I'm not the only one thinking that)

Airport grounds and the Remarkables

We searched for accommodations about a week before our flight but this time we ran into problems. Until then we had had no problems booking our rooms few days in advance or even the day before staying but it was a different story in South Island. First it felt that EVERYTHING was fully booked and we found out it was the peak season with the Chinese New Year going on on top of that (we also learned that Queenstown is hugely popular throughout the whole year so book well in advance even outside the peak season). Luckily we didn't leave all the planning for the last day and had at least some time to plan our moves. For starters we got an Airbnb homestay place near the airport for the first couple of days. It was just a walking distance away from the airport and the house was empty as we got there. Well, almost empty as our bed was taken...

Coco the cat

It was still early afternoon when we got our stuff in place so we did a little Google research and decided to go to Queenstown and walked to the nearest bus stop. We found out that you can get a GoCard from the bus and it's the cheapest and easiest way to get around. Shortly after arriving to town center we saw Small Planet Disc Sports and had to pay a visit there, after being taken away from the disc golf scene for few months I had the urge to do some shopping.. After buying some discs we wanted to see Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown waterfront so we walked there. It was just beautiful with clear water and mountains in the background. We also walked to Queenstown Gardens and got a glimpse from it's disc golf course but it was getting late so we hopped on the bus going back to Frankton where we stayed.

The place we stayed in was a homestay and it was the first time staying in one for both me and Sini. The place had many good reviews but I was still pleasantly surprised. The owner turned out to be really nice and we felt like home and on top of that the place was located just a 20 minute ride from Queenstown. They also had a (bed invading) cat and a dog we planned to kidnap but unfortunately we didn't have space in our backpacks. ;p

Afternoon sun in Queenstown

The next three days we took it easy and just enjoyed disc golf in Queenstown Gardens and the town itself. Even if I don't fancy touristy places too much nowadays I fell a little for Queenstown. The place has it's charm for sure and it became one of my favorites in NZ.

It's in

On Monday morning we made our way to Omega Car Rental near the airport. We had rented a Hyundai Tucson SUV for three weeks and the car greatly eased our situation with accommodations. After paperwork and getting the car we went to get our backpacks and set our way to Alexandra. It's a small town one hour drive east from Queenstown. There's not too much to do around the town but there are some nice hiking possibilities and the guest house we stayed in, Irish Charm, was well worth the money. On our way to Alexandra we stopped to check out the views at Lake Dunstan near the Clyde Dam.

Lake Dunstan

We were very pleasantly surprised as we got to our guest house as it was located near New World supermarket and it was spacious, clean and had an Apple TV with the game Jetpack Joyride which we totally rocked! It would have been easy to lock ourselves in to beat the high scores but we decided to check out Shaky  Bridge Cafe that our host recommended. Coffee and a local pale ale in pretty surroundings worked just fine.

Shaky Bridge Cafe

Next day we decided to do a day trip to Wanaka which was around one hour drive one way. It turned out to be less touristy version of Queenstown which was just great. And there's a beautiful disc golf course also, perfection!

Checking out the views in Wanaka

Irish Charm was fully booked after Tuesday so we switched places again which was becoming a theme in South Island. Our next place was a Bed and Breakfast a short drive away from Alexandra. After leaving our stuff there we drove to Blue Lake in St Bathans. For me it was a 'meh' experience as there is so much beautiful nature in New Zealand that you kind of become blind to it. What got me more excited was the fact that the place we stayed in had a grill and we bought some steaks and red wine, it's hard to beat a good BBQ! We still had one full day near Alexandra so we decided to do some hiking, or tramping, as the locals call it. It's a long way to the top but boy it feels good when you reach it :)

On the top

Our Bed and Breakfast place had some farm animals and later that day Sini got to help with collecting chicken eggs and feeding the sheep. The sheep were a bit suspicious of us and stomped their feet at us but they fled pretty quickly when we did the same to them :D At dinner time we enjoyed some BBQ again as we had the chance.

Farm girl

There was finally some space in Queenstown hostels on Friday so we made our way there. We checked Bookme for some deals and booked some luge tickets for the next day. It turned out to be great fun and you should definitely book at least 5 rides. We had 7 and each felt faster than the previous one so maybe it was good we didn't have more to avoid injuries :D

Down the hill we go!

After the downhill fun we had pizza and went to play disc golf. On the course we met some local guys and played a round with them. They asked if we wanted to join them the next day on a different course that's near Queenstown and we were in of course. It was harder one for sure but nice to try still.

More visitors

On Monday 19th my mom and her friend were coming to visit us for two weeks. We were going back to Alexandra and we drove there beforehand with Sini to check in because our guests' flight was landing pretty late. In the evening we went to the airport to pick up my mom and Kisu and it was nice to meet again after many months of traveling. They had stayed in Singapore for one night to ease the jetlag but had a long flight behind and we still had an hour to drive. It wasn't too bad though and soon they got to paying some sleep debts.

The next day was rainy so we mostly just watched the Olympics and drove around Alexandra checking out the Shaky Bridge and the nearby town Clyde where the dam is. Following morning we set our way to Wanaka. There's a unique cafe and tourist attraction in Wanaka we decided to visit because it was still too early to check in and the rain continued still. It's called Puzzling World and it has all kind of brain teasers, puzzles and illusions to offer.

Coffee and puzzles

Again it was raining through the day so we kept inside after buying some groceries and rum to keep us warm. Little before sunset the sky started to clear out a bit so we did a little walk nearby before hitting the bed.

On Thursday morning we woke up to a whole different world as the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Unfortunately we couldn't enjoy Wanaka more that time as it was time, once again, to change motels. Our next one was located in Cromwell, a small town in middle of Queenstown, Alexandra and Wanaka. On the way we stopped to buy heaps of fresh fruits and went for a walk after checking in at our motel. It was good spending time outside after the rainy days although the town itself didn't have too much to offer. Later that night we had a big meal in Five Stags Restaurant.

Once again we had booked only one night stay and in the morning we went back towards north. We drove all the way to Twizel, 140 km from Cromwell stopping in Omarama to caffeine up and do some clothes shopping and to buy some fish in High Country Salmon that our hostess recommended earlier.

Scouting for salmon

After unloading the car and chilling for a while we drove another ten minutes to Lake Pukaki, which Sini had searched up before. We had to rub our eyes a bit when the lake came in view because it was just amazing. The lake has a distinctive light cyan color which it gets from glacial flour and it's an impressive sight. After getting back we still had time to check out the disc golf course which was located conveniently just next to our motel..

Lake Pukaki

Sunday was a relaxation day which we spent in Lake Tekapo and floating in Tekapo Springs hot pools ranging from 37 - 39 degrees Celsius. We were meant also to participate in Salmon Festival but it was already ending when we got back to Twizel that afternoon.

Our next destination was another small town named Kingston on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and we had the luxury to stay there in a spacious Airbnb place a whopping three nights.. On our way there we stopped for some wine tasting as there are tons of wineries in Central Otago ranging from big to small and bought a bottle of red. We didn't stop for groceries on the way and after getting to Kingston we noticed that the town is so small there's no grocery stores. So I hopped in the car and 60 km later in Lumsden I got us some food :D

We decided to spend the next day in Queenstown as Kingston was probably the smallest town we'd been to in NZ. On our earlier visits we'd seen the massive lines outside the famous Fergburger and now was the time to put those hamburgers to the test.

The hype outside Fergburger

Luckily we Finns love to stand in queues because the place was crowded as usual. In less than 15 minutes we had our meal in the bag and we took it to Earnslaw Park by the lake. The burgers were mighty fine, maybe not worth all the hype but very tasty indeed. After the meal we headed to the disc golf course with Sini and my mom did some walking and shopping with Kisu.

Glowworms and tattoos

On February 27th it was time to explore Fiordland so we hopped in the car pretty early and started driving towards Te Anau. We arrived before noon and went straight to Real Journeys office to book tickets for a glowworm cave tour. They had still enough space for the 3 pm tour so we bought those and got some snacks and coffee. There was still plenty of time before the tour and there was a 9 hole disc golf course and some good walking areas nearby so we had no trouble spending those few hours. At 2.45 pm we were back in the Real Journeys office and soon got on the tour boat.

Entering the caves

The caves were really cool, we walked there on platforms next to a underground river and saw glowworms and a waterfall. Few times we stopped to spot the worms and the guide turned off the flashlight. It was a little disorienting as it was pitch black and quiet, the only thing you could see were little specks of light from the glowworms. The coolest part was yet to come as we got on a small boat and in the darkness floated deeper in the caves where there were thousands of glowworms. It felt like floating in space, it was all quiet and those worms shone like distant stars.

We still had some days left with our guests and next we went back to Wanaka. On the way we drove up to The Remarkables Ski Area to remind ourselves what snow looks like and had a stop in Cardrona as well. After the drive we just chilled and threw discs at Lismore Park later on.

On March 1st there was a nice coincidence as we were having lunch (a massive lunch, Lake Bar's Taste Plate was HUGE!). Before 2018 New Zealand had won only one medal in Winter Olympics and this year they won 2 bronze medals, both by teens living in Wanaka. It was their homecoming party that day and they drove past us when we were eating. :)

Ordering food when you're hungry..

Wanaka Olympic medalists

The next day we did a little car trip to Blue Pools. There's some nice tracks going through woods and across the Makarora River and you have plenty of options to choose from, the one we took was 1,5 km one way. Back in Wanaka we went to have a small picnic in Eely Point and searched for That Wanaka Tree. In reality it didn't look like much but hey, the hype is real so we had to take a picture of course. Later that night we shot a round in Lismore Park and Sini got -1, you go girl!

Perhaps the most photographed tree in New Zealand

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to Wanaka. We drove to Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town located near Queenstown. The place was bigger and more touristy than I had imagined but had a nice feel to it. We did some shopping and continued our way back to Kingston. It was the last night for my mom and Kisu so we had booked something different to stay in, two yurts. It was actually a really comfortable stay.

One of our yurts

On Sunday we drove our guests to airport and went to a nearby cafe to play Tantrix, a tile-based strategic game we bought in Te Anau. Next few days we were in a slight slumber, the travel weariness starting to get us. We had tried to book a table in Stratosfare Restaurant for our last night together with my mom and Kisu but they were fully booked then. I got a table for the two of us for Tuesday though. It didn't fit in our daily budget but it was still definitely worth it, the 95 NZD price included a gondola ride up the hill and the buffet had lots of delicious options to choose from.

Not too shabby

The next day was our last in South Island and all about adrenaline. We booked a KJet ride that took us from Lake Wakatipu to Shotover River, doing 360 spins and skimming over shallow waters. It was a one hour long ride and even if it the jet boat was going fast we could have enjoyed an even faster ride. It was fun still and after the thrill I had only half an hour to get to Otautahi Tattoo, where I had reserved a time to get some new ink on my calf. I'd planned it for a looong time but as it is a travel themed tattoo it felt right to have it done there on the other side of the globe. :)

Getting inked

- Matias

Our route so far