30th of July, 2022.
Hitchhiking in Finland.
I don’t even have time to go to pee, because the first car which passes, pulling a trailer which I believe it is for horses, stops. Marko is going to a small town around Turko, and he can drive me a bit further on my way.
It is not a horse trailer after all, but a platform for performances, in this case a small concert, in a small festival, in the small town. Marko is very open mind and even though I think he is a bit shy we talk a lot. He asks me many questions about my lifestyle. He has a company which rents performance trailers and he also has a band, so he plays himself some gigs from time to time. He has two kids, including a few weeks old baby girl.
The road to Koli National Park, my next destination, is a bit after the small town and Marko offers to drop me off there after he arranges everything at the festival place. This small villages here in Finland are so cool! They look very cute and always have this lovely small lake by it.
I help Marko a little bit and it is so cool to see how these things are done. In one moment you have a metal box / trailer, and in the next one it is a big stage, all ready for a band and its instruments.
The whole thing takes more time than I expect, so when Marko drops me in this parking it is a bit late already, near noon. Well, late at least comparing with the time I left Forsa and all. Plus, the spot is not very good. There is a gas station across the road, so a few cars are passing by, but not many.
A family of three, with Asian features and all dressed up stops. They tell me to be going only about 30 KM before Mikkeli. I take it!
Ali, Fazela and Zahra are from Afghanistan but are now living in Finland for 5 years. Today they are actually going to celebrate that mark with some friends. They have also lived in Iran for many years. The lovely Fazela was born in there. They are all very sweet and kind. And they drop me off by the highway, 33 KM before Mikkeli. They even invite me to come to the party! How sweet!
There is a sign showing it is prohibited people and bicycles at the highway. Damn it! So, I stand by this bus stop for a while. But there are no cars coming at all! And they are driving quite slow at the highway. The thing is: highways here in Finland can be very different between each other and the definition of highway. In some spot, people even drive at 80 or 60! Because of that, I decide to take my chances and keep walking alongside the highway, holding my sign to the cars.
My plan it works after a while. Yay! A huge truck, similar to a RAM, stops. Three friends are going to Mikkeli, to drink and relax, as they admit. I ask one of them to write down their names but, for some reason, he writes only his: Janos. It is very difficult for me to remember so many names in a day, you know? Sometimes up to 10!
They are nice and get really surprised about my travels. One of them has lived in Canada for many years, and even offer to give me the contact of some friends he believes would like to host me once I am in there.
They drop me off in a roundabout, by a huge “everythingyouneed” shop. It starts to rain a little, so I go down there to have my lunch and wait for the tiny rain to pass.
Back to the roundabout, in a few minutes a couple stops. Mala and Apo are going to their hometown, Savonlinna, so they can drop me by the highway, near Juva. They are so sweet and nice people! Me and Mala chat a lot and I like her immediately. They stop for lunch in a very traditional and nice restaurant. I just had my power sandwich, but I am still a bit hungry, so I have a buffet of salads. After eating, we all have coffee and sweets, all included in the buffet. Yay! Mala even tells me I can try both pies. Yay yay!
My sweet new friends drop me off in a very busy service station. There are so many people around that I get a bit confuse until I come up with a plan of where to stand. And it is raining a bit again.
After quite a few “no”, a very quiet and timid elderly man says he is going to Joensuu. Thanks to the lovely Mala, who showed me on the map where I was going and the next towns on my way, I knew that I would pass by there, so I take it!
Hano is just like my last friend Hano: a quiet and shy man but with a big heart! He speaks a bit of English so we talk also a bit. He takes a different route than the highway one, so we ended up passing by my last friend’s hometown, Saveonlinna. They have told me that it is beautiful and they were telling the truth! It is a very pretty area, with rivers, lakes, small streams all over the place.
When we arrive in Joensuu it is just about to start to rain and the sky looks dark. Hano offers me to spend the night in his house, so I can rest and keep dry. I could try to get to Koli today but there is actually no point and I definitely don’t want to get wet, so I accept.
He lives with his second wife in this super cute traditional house. He was fixing their summer cottage for the last week and now his wife is also away. He shows me my room on the second floor, kind of the attic but super tidy and cute, where his grandchildren stay when they come over.
The house if full of books and films on dvd, which is kind of nostalgic for me.
While Hano goes shopping I take a shower and arrange my things, washing my socks and stuff. When he comes back, we watch a bit of television together and then we prepare some pasta, some salad and we have it with a glass of white wine. Delicious!
I go to bed quite early, around 9 o’clock because I want to write a little bit but also because I am exhausted. Last night the few 6 hours I slept were not enough.
Next morning, after porridge, sandwich and coffee for breakfast (I also prepare one sandwich for the road), Hano drives me for some 20 minutes until a good exit towards Koli National Park. How sweet!
Finish people don’t stop on surprising me with their kindness and breaking down this stupid stereotype that they are not friendly. They might be shy and less extroverted than other people, but they are just lovely!
10 Years Around the World 