In a couple of days, 6 months has passed since we took the plane from Helsinki to Beijing. According to the plan, we should be returning back to Helsinki for 1st of May.

But we won’t come back, yet. We will carry on traveling. This is thanks to the fact that we’ve been living with a very low budget during this trip.

At times, when we’ve spent a day in a crammed minivan or I have stayed a day in bed because of food poisoning, I’ve wondered what is the point of all this? Will I be a lot wiser after seeing all these places? I’m not sure how much I’ve “understood about the world” or “learned about new cultures”. We’ve seen a lot, but I know it’s only a scratch on the surface. For the most part it’s been about going outside of our comfort zone. About being ready to meet strangers and putting ourselves ”out there”. It has also been a special time for us as a couple – we’ve had the luxury of spending a lot of time together.

A friend of mine, Katja, put it wisely when she said that the most important thing on this trip happened when we left. When we made the decision to leave and change our lives, even for a few months. I’m starting to believe it’s true. And I’m also starting to think that maybe life itself should be treated more like an adventure?

After 12 hours in a bus, 4 hours in a minivan and 30 minutes in a boat we arrive to Lake Toba and to a small village called Tuk-Tuk.

Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world. The climate is cool, the water is calm and hotel resorts are located closely next to one another to host all the tourists that are rushing to get there. But on the boat we notice we’re the only tourists rushing to get there…

The heyday of the island must have been years ago. Now the streets are empty and hotels are slowly falling apart. There’s nothing (so now when I look at my pictures I notice I don’t have any of the place itself – there was nothing to take pictures of). A couple of days in this ghost town and we’re moving on.