UnelMatka (in English: Dream Journey) was indeed a dream that my three children and I shared. We met a young American couple in 2014 while travelling around Ireland. This couple had just started a year-long tour around the world. We listened to them with shining eyes - - and decided to do the same. We have always travelled a lot, so travelling  was nothing new – but a long journey around the world was much bigger than what we had done before.

 

We started planning the journey one year before it started. First each of my children and I wrote wish lists of ten countries we would like to travel to. When I had these lists in front of me, I tried to pick as many countriesv as possible from each list. The route of UnelMatka is the combination of these wish lists. We decided to include four continents: Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania – and these 16 countries: Zimbabwe - Zambia - Botswana -Namibia - South Africa - Qatar – India – Singapore - Bali/Indonesia - Australia - New Zealand - Fiji - China (including Hongkong) – Laos - Vietnam - Cambodia.

 

After this decision was done, I started planning the details; for months and months I looked for the best route, the best things to see and do, the nicest accommodation (within our budget) etc. I spent at least a couple of hours on the internet every single day until our journey started, took a huge loan from the bank and started reserving plane tickets, hotels etc. On July 2, 2016 Maria, Sanni, Laura and I started our half-year, 186-day UnelMatka journey. Maria returned back home in August; Sanni, Laura and I returned on Jan 3, 2017.

 

A couple of months before the journey I got an idea of starting a new, lifelong project on the UnelMatka journey: to give music and drama workshops for free in as many countries as possible. In the end I gave 25 workshops in 10 countries during UnelMatka. In most of the workshops I taught John Lennon´s song Imagine. I also talked about world peace and equality between sexes, religions and nations. We video taped a part of Imagine with each Imagine group  - and when we were back in Finland, my friend John Bryan edited the clips together into one united version of Imagine and put it on Youtube.

Here is the Imagine World Tour Vol 1: https://youtu.be/Z13WwXIpS08

 

Many people have been asking for details about the journey. Here is a shortened summary of the journey:

 

Zimbabwe (4 weeks, July):

- almost daily voluntary work with aids orphans at Dzikwa Center in the Dzivarasekwa compound in Harare; I was training the Dzikwa choir while Maria, Sanni and Laura taught English to the kids and helped them with their homework

- we stayed at the beautiful home of Oili Wuolle and Seppo Ainamo, who founded the aids-orphans' center. They also lent us their car during our stay. Their staff at the house, Shepherd, Janet and Tendai, worked for us during our stay

- we went on two great safaris: Imire Rhino & Wildlife Conservation and Harare Lion & Cheetah Park and saw lots of wildlife. We attended an Evangelist church service

- we took a weekend trip to Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage, where we helped take care of lions, leopards, panthers, cheetah, monkeys and baboons

- there were many big riots against Mugabe in Harare, so sometimes we had to stay at the house all day

 

Zambia (10 days, July-August):

- one week in Lusaka, staying at the house of a friend of our friend Natty

- three workshops with the wonderful Nomakanjani Dance Group

- spent a lot of time with our old friends, the singers of Zambian Vocal Collection

- the best evening of the whole UnelMatka journey was in Kelvin´s backyard at the Kalingalinga compound, where we ate typical Zambian food, sang together and looked at the stars with our dear friends

- three days at Victoria Falls, Livingstone, living in two tents under big trees full of monkeys, near Zambezi river

- Sanni and Laura bungee jumped 111 metres from Victoria Bridge down towards Zambezi river

- we took a sunset boat trip on Zambezi (rhinos!), glided over a canyon (fox zipline), swam in Angel's Pool – from where it a was only a couple of meters to the edge of the top of Victoria Falls

- the best thing we saw on UnelMatka journey was Victoria Falls. We went to see Victoria Falls also from the Zimbabwean side; it was even more gorgeous than the Zambian side, surrounded by lush rain forests

 

Botswana (1 day, August):

- during our stay at Victoria Falls we had a one-day safari at Chobe National Park in Botswana. On the the boat trip on Chobe River we saw big herds of elephants and quite a few crocodiles

 

Namibia (1 week, August):

- Windhoek: two workshops at the Katutura compound in Windhoek

- Living in a hostel in the center, so we enjoyed city life, and met my friend Elisabet couple of times

- Swakopmund: quad biking safari in the world's oldest desert, the Namib Desert, boat trip on the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean (visitors on the boat: a seal and a pelican)

- Maria headed back to Finland when Sanni, Laura and I flew to South Africa

 

South Africa (1 week, August):

-South Africa is SO different from all other African countries: western, modern, lots of white culture

- stayed in Cape Town in a beautiful poolhouse

 - visited Cape Hope, climbed Lion's Head (scary!), took a lift to the top of Table Mountain, admired wild penguins and super skillful surfers, visited the wine district (Stellenbosch)

- spent an evening with the family of Sanni's friend. Very interesting discussions about South Africa and its future

 

Qatar (3 days, August):

- my friend Tuula invited us to stay at their beautiful home in the Pearl, a luxorious artificial island in Doha

- wore burkhas when we visited the biggest mosque in Qatar, the huge Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque. We got a great guided tour at the mosque by a Englishman-turned-muslim.

- one-day safari in the desert with a very rude driver, rode camels, went near the border of Saudi Arabia and swam in the hot Persian Gulf.

 

India (2 weeks, August-September):
- my friend Amar, who runs the Companion Journey travel agency in New Delhi, planned and organized our India tour and even joined us for a while to make sure everything went well

- spent one day at the visa office of China – finally got our Chinese visas at the end of our stay in India

- travelled by train through northern India, even slept a few nights in the train

- Agra: Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, Agra Fort, went to see a Bollywood movie – and waited at the station for a train, which was 5 hrs late, with rats running on our feet - literally

- Varanasi: chaotic, noisy and hostile central place of Hinduism. Visited the ancient Sarnath Temple, watched a bathing ceremony at the river Ganges, attended an Aarti, a fire seremony of Hindus.

- Bodhigaya: super spiritual central place of Buddhism. Visited Buddha´s cave and other historical sites of Buddha, meditated in Mahabodhi Temple under the same bodhi tree where Buddha received enlightenment, visited dozens of stupas

- Rishikesh: wonderful, lush town by the southernmost slopes of Himalaya, where it was forbidden to eat meat and drink alcohol. Had a private yoga lesson on top of a very high mountain, then hiked down from the mountain, saw tiger tracks. Took private yoga, sitar and tabla lessons (after all, this is the town where the Beatles stayed!), joined the Ganga Aarti seremony, swimmed in the river Ganges, got mobbed and mugged by monkeys, had many wonderful Indian meals, enjoyed genuine ayurveda massages

- Delhi: visited India Gate and the house where Gandhi was shot, saw the presidental palace, shopped for Indian fabrics and textiles

- all those holy cows!

 

Singapore (2 days, September):

- enjoyed our long-waited western day: had fun at the Universal Studios, went to the movies, shopped, explored Harbourfront, took a lift to the top of the unforgettable Marina Bay Sands hotel

- traveled a lot by metro, where ”all suspicious-looking passengers must be reported to the personnel”! Worrying...

 

Bali/Indonesia (2 weeks, September):

- Sanur: one week in a beautiful, old-style wooden house with half-open walls

- Gili Meno island: by boat to wonderful, pristine Gili Meno; had a private snorkling guide, who taught us how to deep dive and took us swimming with sea turtles

- Ubud: unforgettable, traditional, lush, touristic holy city. Walked through rice fields, visited rice terraces, swam under waterfalls, were attacked by monkeys in Monkey Forest, took a trip to the black sand beach of Lovina

- visited many Hindu temples, for example Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, Gunung Kawi Temple and Taman Ayun Temple

- saw many gamelan orchestras playing and meny other music and dance rituals: barong, baris, kecak, shadow puppet performances...

- got our fortunes told at Ketut Liyer's (Eat Pray Love) house by his son, went to see a sacred medicine man, attended yoga lessons

- tasted the treasure of Bali: kopi luwar coffee, eaten and pooped by Asian palm civet

- one of the most wonderful places of UnelMatka <3!

​

Australia (3 weeks, September-October):
- I drove the whole time (except when we flew from Alice Springs to Melbourne J): about 4000 km

- Darwin, Northern Territory: the biggest, though a bit shabby, city in Nothern Territory. Enjoyed Mindl Beach Sunset Market.

- two workshops in Humpty Doo, NT

- Kakadu National Park: aboriginal rock art, astonishing, rocky nature, wallabies. Three cruises, lots of huge salt water crocodiles, the longest one was 6 m long

- Katherine Gorge: hiked in the National Park at the gorge, swam in a creek together with aboriginal children

- Tennant Creek: shabby, dreamlike, sleepy city in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hundreds of kms of red desert and bushes

- Devil´s Marbles: astonishing area with extraordinary, huge, strange-shaped rocks in the middle of a red desert

- Alice Springs: the only real city in central Australia. Stayed in a caravan, saw a beautiful sunset, visited Reptile Center

- short hike at King´s Canyon on the way from Alice Springs to Uluru

- Uluru (Ayers Rock): unforgettable walk by Uluru, watched Uluru at sunrise and sunset, hike at Kata Tjuta National Park, visited the aboriginal art center and Field of Light: 10.000 lights in the middle of dark desert, changing colour all the time

- back to Alice Springs: visited Kangaroo Sanctuary, where an Australian man (Kangaroo Dundee) has dedicated his life in saving kangaroos; we held kangaroo babies in our arms

- flew from Alice Springs to Melbourne

 -Melbourne, Vistoria: had lots of problems with our rental car and its GPS

- In Melbourne: city life, shopping, eating well

- Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Portland (without GPS!): incredibly beautiful!

- Saw koalas two times up close in the nature, big mobs of kangaroos by sunset, huge trees and enormous ferns in primeval forests

- visited Ballarat Wildlife Park: got to hold a wombat in my arms, got a private close encounter with two koalas, interacted with tamed kangaroos

- a policeman stopped our car, I got a huge fine as I had speeded heavily

- Canberra (capital of Australia) for a couple of hours: Australian Parliament house

- Kiama, New South Wales: had a hard time finding our (Peltola's) beautiful beach house, where we stayed for 5 nights, mainly resting

- Laura & I experienced world's longest roller coaster zip line at Tree Top Adventure Park, saw whales far in the sea, got sprayed by the Kiama Blowhole, swam in a salt water pool by the sea

- Sydney: admired Harbour Bridge, saw the musical My Fair Lady (directed by Julie Andrews) at the wonderful Sydney Opera House, went to the movies

 

New Zealand (3 ½ weeks, October-November):

- Queenstown, South Island,”the adrenaline capital of the world": Skipper's Canyon Tour on the most dangerous road in New Zealand, jetboating to the film site of the Lord of the Rings.

- 10 days with a camper on South Island: Te Anau, wonderful Milford Sound (dolphins followed us!), Wanaka, incredible, quickly melting Franz Josef Glacier which dates all the way back to the last ice age.

- Hokitika, Punakaiki, Westport, Abel Tasman National Park (again lots of dolphins entertaining us), Nelson, pods of seals on the rocks by the sea

- Incredibly beautiful Kaikoura: Dolphin Encounter boat tour: wore wetsuits, swam with dolphins in the freezing cold, stormy sea

- Christchurch, which was partly shattered by earthquakes: shopping, movies

- 12 days on North Island, mostly WWWOFFing with an international group of Europeans at the home of lovable Mary Matthew in northern Auckland. Lots of freetime, very easy work: cooking, tending the garden, cleaning. Drama workshops at a secondary school.

- met Yukie, my Japanese friend from the 80's, and her son Ray, who studied in Auckland

- two-day roadtrip: Rotorua (Maori Village), the unforgettable Hobbiton movie set, super thrilling Black Water Rafting inside the Waitomo glowworm caves (wearing wetsuits)

 

Fiji (10 days, November):

- From Nadi by taxi & boat to the small island of Leleuvia on the eastern side of Viti Levu

- 6 days at the paradise-like Leleuvia Island Resort: sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, canoeing, supping, canoe sailing, planting corals in the ocean, relaxing in a hammock, a surprise workshop with the staff of Leleuvia Island Resort.

- on another island with our Fijian friends: hiking, visiting a traditional village, long kava ceremony with the chiefs of the village

- for me, Leleuvia Island was the best place on our UnelMatka journey

- Suva, capital of Fiji: workshop at a Catholic center for children, who had been taken in custody from their families by Fijian nuns, exploring the only museum in the South Pacific

- meal at the house of the desperate sister of our Indian taxi driver

- all my three credit cards got duplicated in Fiji > difficulties for the rest of the journey

 

Hongkong (2 days, November):

- stayed at Lantau Island (in a house, which Saara Aalto recommended to us)

- boat trip to Hongkong Island and back: dreamlike, foggy Victoria Peak, shopping

 

China (12 days, November-December):

- Beijing: staying in a traditional Hutong house (which Saara Aalto recommended)

- Beijing: Great Wall of China, Chinese Opera, Acrobat Show, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Yonghe Lama Temple, shopping. Travelled everywhere with metro.

- Beijing: five short workshops at the private Oaktree Kindergarten and school

- tour in Yunnan province: Kunming: workshop, wonderful Dynamic Yunnan Show. Dali: hike at Cangshan Mountain, traditional Chinese cupping. Lijiang: tea ceremonies at the best pu'er tea house in the world, ancient city, rooftop scenery. Tiger Leaping Gorge, Himalaya: 2-day breathtaking hike on the super high slopes of Haba Mountain, facing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, high above Yangtze River. Shangri-La: freezing cold Buddhist town near Tibetian border, with mainly Tibetian inhabitants and culture. Sumtsaling, huge Tibetian Buddhist monastery and other monasteries, participating in Tibetian row dance.

​

Laos (5 hrs, December):

- was not our original plan to stop here, but the flights were changed. Took a taxi for the whole time in order to see the main sights in Vientiane, the capital: Patuxai Victory Monument, Wat Si Muang temple area and some other temples and the shores of Mekong river.

​

Vietnam (2 weeks, December):

- two-day hike at the wonderful north-Vietnamese mountains of Sapa, two-day boat trip in Halong Bay (voted many times to be one of the most beautiful places on earth), visit to an ancient Vietnamese village, pottery making

- Absolutely chaotic Hanoi: That Long Water Puppet Show, night market and shopping.

- Hoi An: boating on the streets of old town, traditional massages.

- Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): War Remnants Museum, Jade Emperor Pagoda, crawling through Viet Cong's Chu Chi tunnels

- By bus towards Cambodia and Mekong river, overnight at Cao Lanh, guided cruise at Mekong delta, by boat on Mekong River from Vietnam to Phom Penh, the capital of Cambodia

​

Cambodia (2 ½ weeks, December-January):

- Phnom Penh: horrifying Choeung Ek Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Museum, Wat Phnom temple, central market, Russian market

- Siem Reap: workshop at the Kitchen of Hope on Christmas Eve, impressive Angkor Wat, Bayon Temple, Apsaras Dance and Dinner Show

- from Sihanoukville by boat for 5 days to Koh Roem Sanloem island: swimming in the middle of glowing plankton, snorkeling, sun bathing, hiking

- tropical birthday on Dec 31 -> when the year changed, the whole island, including Sanni and Laura, was partying - except for me; I was the only one, who was swimming in the ocean when the year changed

- Phnom Penh: shopping and packing, last evening dinner with my friend Suoku Sirén

- journey back home started on Jan 2 (Phnom Penh – Ho Chi Minh City – Doha – Helsinki), we arrived in Finland on Jan 3, 2017.