Out of Estonia

I'm on the travel again. This time like a old school hippie - hitching the ride, looking for coach places or staying in a tent somewhere in the beautiful nature. On the way I'll start making necklaces to sell, but I also try to find some jobs. At some point I hope to find a proper job and settle down somewhere for a while. So if any European could offer me something even for a short time, then write to my e-mail. Some have said that I'm crazy, leaving home to south that already has problems with employment or immigration, but I say that it is better to live in insecurity than in never ending depression.

Yes, also travelling is hard and tiresome, but when I got to Vilnius, I felt like just coming out from sauna - tired and hungry, but feeling still good and happy. Even if my mission to get a job fails, then at least I see new places and meet new people. I feel alive at least. Additionally I try to stay in south near the Mediterranean Sea to avoid northern winter. I really feel that I can't tolerate another such winter as was last.

Right now I'm at my friend's (brother Justas from our Kenya family) place in Vilnius, and just resting. Yesterday I looked around in the city. Vilnius is like a hybrid of Tallinn and Tartu, but much bigger and more close-packed. Yes, there are differences in details like Vilnius has much better road network, nice prospects, bigger parks and plazas, beautiful cathedrals and churches, bigger but more classical old town with much more Soviet era additions than for example in Tallinn, but feeling and life is really quite the same. It should make me feel like in home, but it doesn't. Actually I feel homesickness, but not for Estonia, but for Kenya. Lithuanian youth though seems very nice. Surely nicer than Estonians. And it seems that they don't try to create some superficial identity or appearance as youth often does in Estonia. They are here who they are - simple and straightforward. And they accept strangers much better. I tell you my people of Estonia, you need to be more open, more friendly and social. Even trying to catch a ride from Tallinn to Tartu was worst part of my trip so far. I waited a car to stop for three hours in a cold seaborne wind. At least guy who took me up at last, was friendly and great to have a conversation.

Road so far! From Tartu to Riga was amazing. First part was with Kudrun's sister and her boyfriend. I had never rode the Elvan way. Amazing - road going up and down the hills, mighty forests surrounding, here and there some farmhouses either made in old country style from wooden logs, or then ones with red clay cover , reminding me a little of south... I mean Africa (really I had never seen such red clay covered houses in Estonia before). There was also  old wooden dam and I'm not absolutely sure, but I think it was old watermill there too. Some more old houses and then suddenly high voltage power lines for contrast. There were also some cool place names like Plika or Ruuna. In old country language Plika means a girl. Actually even today it is used as a slang for a little girl. And Ruuna has nothing to do with runes. It means the old and bone-weary horse. There were many other names that I just forgot.

In double town Valga-Valka I just walked over the border to Latvia. It is weird to see all border gates abandoned, windows covered. When you go somewhere by ship or plain you still feel like going over the border, but not by land. Place seems quiet and I thought that Martin's (the boyfriend of Kudrun) warning about waiting for a car there for many hours may come to be true. But actually, in contrary to Martin's belief, getting a car from there wasn't hard at all. It took only about ten to fifteen minutes. Northern Latvia is great. There are even greater forests than in Estonia. Feels like a Nordic jungle, especially now with such a hot sun in the sky. In Northern Latvia I ride with many cars, everyone going forward just a little way. Still, I get close to Riga quite fast. But from there start problems. Cars just shooting by and when I finally get to greater circular road around Riga, then there is roadworks and getting to other side of Riga seems hard. Anyway I have to ride with couple of cars to finally arrive to E67, pretty much straight way to Vilnius. But again I had some problems getting a ride, because on this road, everyone just speeds. A lot of cars with Lithuanian numbers go by and none of them stop for quite a long time, and as sun is showing early signs of approaching evening, I already fear that I don't get to Vilnius this day. But place is nice, weather is best I could want and I have a tent, so it doesn't bother me as much as starting from Tallinn. But I still try for a while. I already sent Justas a message that I probably get to Vilnius next day, but then stops a very cool Turkish guy who lives in a Vilnius. Road is long and when we get close to Vilnius, we both are really tired, but happy to finally arrive. At first he puts me to one bus stop, but after few minutes he returns after picking up one of his friend, as he comes to think that all buses have already gone for this day, so he takes me to city center. Big up for these friendly and funny Turkish guys. They were extremely nice people.

By the way, so far most people have had hard time speaking English. Some even none. But we managed. I was surprised, that I even can say few words, even few most needed sentences in Russian. Here in Vilnius, it seems that people, at least all the youth speaks pretty good English.

Today we go with Mykolas (my other Lithuanian-Kenyan brother) we go for a little trip in Lithuania. It takes me some way back to north, but for sunday we come back to Vilnius again. And after all, I'm sure that this trip will be nice. I can't just ride through every country on the way, and such a straight shooting is pretty much planned for Poland and maybe even for Czech Republic. I try to spend some time again in Austria I think. I still haven't got contact with Elisabeth, my acquaintance through Deviant Art. Then again, Justas gives me contacts of this Czech guy we met in Kenya, and if he can host me for few days, then it would be nice to rest there too. Today I sent few requests for coach surfing in Warsaw, but I think from Warsaw to Czech it may take two days travel, even though I might not go to Prague at all, but to Brno. And when visiting Kudrun, Martin and lil Kaspar, I met Martin's friend Rene from Marseilles and he is willing to host me for one or two days when I get there. Anyway, no problem. Life on the road is like a paradise compared to the life in Estonia.

To finish the first entry of this travel, I think no-one would guess who tried to call me when I was on the way to Vilnius and again early in the morning next day. Even for Mykolas it took three tries to get it right. It was Kate. I don't understand what she wants, but anyway she was very persistent. When I didn't answer, she tried again and again, until in the second morning I had to shut off my phone. If you think that this was cruel, then you probably haven't read through my old posts and don't know what she has done to me. Anyway, I actually also sent her a message that I'm out of Estonia and calling there would be extremely expensive for her and for me too. I wrote that she should send me message if she wants to say something, but she carried on trying to call. Actually I would like to know what was that now. I would never had guessed that she ever calls me again, but I guess Kenya and it's people have even more surprises for me.

So, when you see some guy similar to what you can see on the photos of mine, to travel somewhere in Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Southern France or Spain, then you could just come to talk with me, or offer me ride, or host me, or offer some food. I would be thankful for everything and anything. And do the same to others too. Let the international friendship and mutual assistance show that world can become better place to live. Love and peace to all!

..And of course I didn't fall for any latvian speaking girl.. whooh!

Oh.. I was supposed to add some photos from Latvia here. Maybe I shouldn't, as it takes away all the imagination you had about that place.. and possibly you may be dissapointed, as in my description everything may have been more beautiful. Well, but I didn't get many good photos anyway, so I still upload these few. The second time there was this cloudy weather (at least most of the time), and feeling was more off because of that, making much of that previous excitement disappear. As I have said in countless times, I work on solar power.

I went to Gauijena (yes it was i and then j.. I made mistake in the last post) in the previous eavning before the day our scenes were filmed. Man who drove us there was that day already on a second "to Estonia and back to Latvia" trip, and as waking for everyone in this filmcrew is early in the morning and we were supposed to get to Latvia around the midnight, he was pretty darn tired. In the same carride with me and another "looniecase" was one of the Estonian well known Actors - Elle Kull. She was quite talkative anyway, but when we saw that our driver is really really so tired that may just fall asleep behind the wheel, she simply didn't dare to shut her mouth. Fortunately we made it. Naturally I didn't feel any urge to go to sleep when we got to Gauijena. So I stayed up with few others almost half that night. It was good company with little drinks, fun and music. And even next morning wasn't so hard to wake up, but some time at midday it was my turn to feel overpowering tiredness. And again, although I don't like to drink coffee, I drinked it so much that later when we were driving back to Estonia I didn't feel really well.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I had somekind of misundersatanding when I was asked to be one of the actors there. I thought that it will be some commercial, but it was another weird Estonian movie. But it wouldn't had mattered anyway.. I would have agreed to act in anything, i guess. To me it seemed that writers/producers of it wanted to show us "insane" more normal than any other character there.

I had read only part of the script, and I pretty much only know that it is again such a slowpaced and hardly understandable thing with some surreal feeling. Main character is a man who has been in Afganistan for some time and become an muslim there and now is back in home country where he is suddenly drawed into weird events. There was a nudist theater/circus and a drowned man, and hearse driver who looked like Michael Jackson.. and of course the asylum with us.. normal people and crazy doctors. Anyway, like I said, I don't really know much anything about it and have to wait for the premiere like any other to be sure what it exactly was. Name is "Kirjad Inglile" (Letters to the Angel).

I guess I "forgot" to say in how bad shape these great manorhouses actually were.. only this place where we stayed, was in OK condition. And nature was still beautiful. Really better than it may seem from these photos.





Grrr.. I hate this blogger photo resizing.. I don't know.. if you click on the photos, will it be possible to see bigger pics.

No photos of me :p

Born to be wild!

Friday morning, waking up early. I haven't woked up 6 o'clock for.. ages. Shower, eating and before the eight I was already on a train to Tallinn. But this WAS the hardest part of the day. Then 4 hours nice car ride through beautiful Estonia to even more beautiful place in northern Latvia named Gaujiena. The "hard work" of rest of the day was to endure the strong sunlight and warmth, and to watch the filming of others, as our scenes were delayed and finally completely set for the next day.

Yeah, after many-many years, I am finally again acting. This time not in theatre but in a movie. And acting is much more for my liking and also much easier for me than is the job of movie director.. or any other job in that matter. I really like acting.. it's absolute fun. And it doesn't matter how much cash I get from it,.. I can travel freely,.. it is the active and interesting life without the need of money, in a company of other very nice people. Well, this time I got only small part. I was one of the patients in the asylum. Other "patients" were really cool people too. This woman who picked us as actors, said after many of our crazy jokes that if she has not turned crazy herself before, then our posse will surely do that (this was said in the best meaning as she really was entirely happy with us).

By the way, I already said that the place where the movie takes place is beautiful, but it is actually just mindblowing. Behind the ten hills and valleys, over the ten rivers, lies a fairytaleland. The so said asylum is actually a schoolhouse that resides in the old manorhouse. I must say that german landlords in Latvia were more richer or just wanted to show more of their power than the Estonian counterparts.. manor consisted at least three big houses with columned entrances, many smaller houses, great parks, and the place where we stayed overnight (about that later). The "asylum" was the mainhouse on the hill. In the valley below was the small lake (one of many around), and still in the middle of it a small island. The lake was also the important place in a movie. Nature was beautiful, weather was perfect, butterflies and dragonflies who were bigger than any I have seen ever before landed peacefully on the hand. I counted at least three different dragonfly species.

Oh, and you can't imagine the palace where we were housed. Probably this was the latest addition to manor as summer residence or something. A historicistic house somewhat reminding these cool english houses with little tower, unsymmetrical planning, great entrance hall, etc. Yep the entrance hall was greatest as it went through two floors and ended with dome of glass mosaic. Around it went the stairs up. First floor had marble pillars, second one the wooden. But the glass dome was not seen from the outside as there was also the third half-floor. All this house was filled with different old furniture. Even the view from the window of greater wc on the second floor was priceless, as there was also the park behind the house, then some woods and as it again was on the hill, then in the valley was another lake.

At first I was so sad that I didn't have photocamera with me, but saturday, after our scenes were taken, we were said, that we have to go there once more in a few days. This time I'll lend a camera from my friend.

Estonians know that Latvians have many jokes about us.. mostly about the recless or selfish or perhaps even poshy nature of ours, and Estonians often make jokes about Finnish, Russians and even Germans, but I had not heared any about Latvians.. now I did. And few even quite cruel.

For example: In old times Estonians thought that Latvians are bit weird,.. somewhat different. There was even a rumor that Latvians have six toes. But it figures they still have only five.. three in front and two in behind.

And friday, when we visited a shop there, it happened that after a while only one fairly new car came. Then one of our guys said: "Ah, these are then the wealthier Latvians". And the answer: "Yeah, look, they can even support two kids".

Still, do not think that Estonians are cruel. We just have weird humor.. and often we make it even upon ourselves. That said one more joke. For foreknowledge: Setu is one of the Estonian local populations, who are seen as clever and wise.. their region is even called Setu Kingdom. So the joke is as follows: Setu and a Jew is going court. What is the verdict? Prosecutor gets five years!

Well.. just can't stop with joking, but the next one was situational in front of that same shop. One of our cars needed the change of left rear tire. It not only showed how many men are needed to change one (Full pit), it still took so long that our car driver started explaining how everything in the world is normally done from the right side - cow is milked from the right, operations that are done through the nostril is done from right,.. sa perhaps they should have changed the tire too from the right side.

Only thing there that troubles me is that we get somewhat too little to eat. Stew is limited and when there is many actors and filmcrew then it is doubtable if I can request more. Anyway, if I'd eat so little in home, then probably I would soon be translucent. Too little meat stuff. Well at least saturday morning there were different porridges and enough of that, so I carried through the second day.

And finally at the saturday afternoon it was our turn to "go crazy". Director was happy with us, and so was the woman who organized us there. And one more time,.. it was lots of fun. Only really bad thing was that I hurt one of my fingers when playing rugby :P

One of other actors even would have offered me a part in theater play they are soon starting to do if I only would have been from Tartu (biggest small city in South-Estonia). Damn, I have so many friends in Tartu, and I really would like to move there.

So.. soon back to Latvia.. and then I bring some photos back with me.