We started our journey through India from medieval feeling Kolkata watching beggars and bare-feet men draw rickshaws, and we smelled the stench of urine and learned to dodge numerous human droppings on the streets.

In Kolkata’s backpacker ghetto in Sudder Street, we also got to know the two main types of travellers that are drawn to India: drug addicts and spiritual travellers. For us the big question our journey evoked was: can there be spirituality without love?

We were flying from Jaipur, India to Istanbul, Turkey and the airlines cancelled our connecting flight so that we ended up staying in Sharjah for 36 hours instead of the original 6 hours. At first we were kindly informed that we would accommodate on the floor of Sharjah airport (which is graded quite bad for sleeping), but when we got there they put us to a 4-star hotel with gym and pool, fed us 3 times a day and took us to sightseeing to Mall of Dubai.

We visited Finland for the first time in six years. It was a short combined business and tourist trip. Our publisher Atena Kustannus invited us over for the book launch of Päivi’s newest book Elämäni nomadina (My Life as a Nomad).

The visit was pretty hectic because of interviews, but fun. We also had an opportunity to visit our family and many of our friends who had invited us over.

Our travel through East European countries—Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary—towards the South were filled with havoc and horror. Some of the things Santeri accidentally broke were minor and material, others somewhat bigger and more serious.

It all began in Latvia when visiting our new friend Vita in Rezekne near the Russian border. Santeri was making some bread and dropped the frying pan. It hit the floor sideways and lost its shape. Sorry Vita. From there on we knew to expect more, but trying to be extra careful only made things worse.

We had not visited any of the Balkan countries before and we experienced a really nice surprise. People were friendly and honest, and they seemed genuinely pleased to see foreigners around.

The Balkans hasn’t been popular among tourists after the war except Croatia. We fell in love with Montenegro’s beautiful coastal city Ulcinj where we found a hotel with a fabulous view over the Adriatic sea for 10 euro a night. Landolocked Serbia became another favourite of ours. It was harvest time and we had a chance to enjoy plenty of delicious capsicums and grapes.

Drifting Sands Press has today published our first English language book, and also the first ever general interest non-fiction book about Global Nomads.

For this book, we had the pleasure of interviewing thirty global nomads from all over the world. They are professional travelers who wander the world without a permanent job or home, the modern-day adventurers and vagrants;no one’s property. The new book describes what perpetual traveling is like, how to make a living on the road, and explores wheather the traveling life means a liberated and happier existence?

The publisher from the Drifting Sands Press, Cindie Cohagan, is a seasoned global nomad herself. “I have spent nine years on an around-the-world bicycle tour and I can easily relate to all the thirty global nomads that were interviewed for the book.” We met Cindie in India where she is now living and found mutual grounds for publishing.

An Old Tradition with a Modern Twist

Global nomads challenge some of the values we traditionally cherish in the West such as the security afforded by a predefined life and continuous economic growth. They are recreating an ancient tradition with a modern twist. Like the Great Masters, they too have found that a simple life is a better life. Their modern ideas draw from the everyday life and dreams of past explorers, philosophers, and vagrants. Some notable pioneers discussed in the book include Alexander the Great, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and George Orwell.

Are you ready for a ride which redefines such familiar notions as home, nationality, freedom, and travel?

About the book

• Title: Free as a Global Nomad: An Old Tradition with a Modern Twist
• Written by Päivi Kannisto & Santeri Kannisto
• Edited by Cindie Cohagan
• Published by Drifting Sands Press
• Languages: English
• ISBN: 978-0-9850096-1-8
• 174 pages
• Formats: Paperback, Kindle eBook, Nook eBook
• Paperback price: $ 25.95/19.95 €

About Drifting Sands Press

Drifting Sands Press is an independent publisher specializing in books about spiritual journeys and out of the ordinary life paths. For more information and ordering the book, visit www.driftingsandspress.com.

We stayed a couple of months in a Saharan oasis called Zagora. The place was beautiful, peaceful, and hassle-free, and there were an abundance of inexpensive dates, couscous, and awesome fresh vegetables and fruits available in the local market they call souk.

Morocco was one of the easiest countries for us for long-stay. We got a renting agreement in a beautiful house in one day and Saharan people turned out to be very honest. We had no troubles whatsoever. Well, our shoes got stolen from the corridor one day, but our landlord captured the thief and got our shoes back. Another minuscule nuisance were children who begged for sweets, pens, and money.

Sahara is in many ways as if straight from the tales of Arabian nights. The sky is deep blue and the mountains contrast with enormous sands. Here and there you can see beautiful green oasis with palm trees and rivers. Donkeys and camels saunter leisurely around. Moroccon houses are eye-catching with their pillared verandahs, arches, and hand-carved motifs. Locals were not in a hurry and they quite openly drank alcohol and smoked weed. This would have been unheard of in some other Muslim countries like Malaysia where drug traffickers are hanged.

Moroccan government lets EU citizens enjoy the country for 90 days for free. Visa-runs are allowed and it should also be possible to prolong the atay with a visit to a police station. However, we decided to continue our way. The weather started to be too cold in November. The temperature dropped to five degrees at night and without heating and insulation in houses it can be rather uncomfortable. When we will go to Morocco next time, we will choose spring or autumn and explore Western Sahara which has both the Saharan sand and the sea.

Have you noticed how hard it is to get rid of the stuff you don't need any more but which is too valuable just to give away? If you are tired of carrying it around, go to Jamaica. Friendly and happy Jamaicans will help you out.

We rented a country house near Lucea in Hanover parish. It is situated some forty kilometres west from Montego Bay away from all inclusive tourist resorts. During our stay we found out that Jamaica was the perfect solution for us for the luggage problem. We also enjoyed our stay fully and not the least because of people who are so polite, smiling and easy to get along with.

Jamaican voodoo

The nearest town, Lucea, was a ten-kilometre walk from our place and we took the habit of going there twice a week, once for shopping and another time for internet. One day when we came back, half a dozen bananas had vanished. Also a small bag of coconut milk powder, some tea bags, forceps for picking eyebrows, and a yellow flashlight with two rechargeable batteries were missing. In addition, somebody had opened a condom and thrown it on the bathroom floor.

We were grateful that they did not take our laptop, camera, headphones, or ketchup instead. Our neighbours who kept their doors open day and night advised us that there were no thieves in the tiny village of twenty people. Our nearest neighbour, rastaman, was certain it was just a random incident.

We wanted to make sure this was the case. We barricaded doors with some useless stuff like the TV we had in the house, and we left some decoy money on the table. That paid off. The second visit cost us only two dead batteries and one bank note of twenty Polish zlotys.

Poverty and possessions

Our case was not unique as theft seems to be a normal way of life in Jamaica. In a Chinese-run grocery store in Lucea a local customer in front of us didn't have enough money to pay for her purchases. She simply told the cashier that she had no more, took the stuff, and walked out without paying the missing 200 Jamaican dollars. The cashier was left dumbstruck.

In our yard, our custard apple, bread fruit and banana trees attracted unwanted tarzans. When we asked what an earth were they doing in our trees, they were not in the least embarrassed to have been caught. Some excused themselves by saying that they were taking fruits before birds ate them, others just ran away or started to argue that they had no idea we were at home.

Most Jamaicans, some 70 per cent live in poverty. We heard that an average income is some 600 US dollars a month, probably a very high estimate. The living costs in the countryside are low but often out of proportion. For instance, our rent was 150 USD/month including water and electricity. Of that, most went to water. We had no running water but a thousand-litre tank on the roof. Filling the tank cost 2500 Jamaican dollars (~ 30 USD) and it lasted for three weeks with minimal consumption. We could not check the electricity consumption because there was no meter. Perhaps it was a free gift from the electricity company.

Before you travel to Jamaica

Jamaica is known for Rastafarianism and marijuana, which—although widely and openly consumed—is illegal. Jamaica is also one of the happiest nations with one of the highest murder rates in the world. Culture wise it is a truly unique combination of African concept of time, Argentinian understanding of respect and Spanish hospitality, but those lovely smiling people make you forget all the inconveniences you ever experienced during your stay.

We were pondering whether poverty and crazy expensive food costs (believe or not, it is pricier than in Europe) justify theft. We came to the conclusion that it is hard to say as the same malnourished people afford to smoke plenty of ganja, drink expensive rum, use mobile phone to call their neighbours just a few paces away, and buy potato chips and sweets for their kids.

One thing we can wholeheartedly recommend to anybody going to Jamaica: visit members of hospitality exchange! We got to know two hospex members, one in Montego Bay and another in Kingston and they both made us feel at home in the country right away.

A recipe

Rice and peas à la Päivi & Santeri for 2 persons (preparation time 60-90 minutes)

- 2 dl rice
- 2 dl beans
- 1 medium sized breadfruit

Soak the beans overnight and boil them until they are soft.

Some useful expressions

• Yo man — Hey you, for both men and women, a bit the same as che in Argentianian.
• Bwattiboy — An expression used by some Jamaican men who feel insecure of their own sexual orientation.
• Watcha doodoo — Ahoy, there is some shit ahead. Don't step on it!
• Haberdashery — A shop containing everything else except what you are looking for.

We arrived in Port of Spain at the end of the carnival. There were still some cooldown happenings going on, mainly soca parties on the beaches, but the city itself was already suffering from hangover and looking just like Rio de Janeiro after the carnival: it was full of rubbish and sulky people.

Guest houses in the capital were still asking for carnival rip-off prices so we headed to a little village called Toco in the northeastern corner of the island. The seaside is great there, ideal for surfers although there were none around. Tourists seemed to have vanished right after the carnival although the dry season between December-June is supposed to be the high season.

Toco was a lucky choice. It is a famous leatherback turtle nesting site and fortunately we went there outside the season so we did not disturb any turtles. We found a cozy one bedroom holiday house with a big terrace and kitchen costing us less than a cramped and murky closet in a guest house in Port of Spain. We enjoyed our stay walking on the beach and liming (chilling out) in the terrace with lovely cool sea breeze, nature's own air-conditioning.

Trinidad lacks low-end accommodation options and the cheapest rooms that normally cost US$5-10 elsewhere are US$35-50 per night in Trinidad. The island is expensive also otherwise. Food is more expensive than in Europe, especially fruits and vegetables. Public transportation was affordable and offered the best value for money. The 2.5-hour trip from Port of Spain to Toco was 1.5 euro and the big buses were air-conditioned and comfortable. The downside of the public transportation is lack of reliability in remote areas. We waited for the bus in Toco for three hours and we finally had to take a maxitaxi. During those hours there should have been at least two buses going.

From Trinidad we continued to Venezuela with a ferry going once a week on Wednesdays from Chaguaranas, a thirty-minute bus trip from Port of Spain, to Guiria, Venezuela. It was a nice and quick ride, 3.5 hours, and the service was perfect in the Trinidadian side. Once we got to Venezuela, we were immediately reminded of the South-American manana culture. They made passengers wait for a couple of hours for getting their passports stamped and luggage checked. More of Venezuela in our next blog.

Venezuela was inexpensive and easy for travel, although not always very comfortable. They have the same kind of cramped double-decker buses than in Argentina that mainly go by night so you will have to try to sleep on the bus.

We crossed the whole of Venezuela starting from Guiria where we arrived from Trinidad & Tobago. On our way, we passed by Puerto la Cruz, a seaside town on the Caribbean coast and the oil rich town of Maracaibo before entering to Colombia. Maracaibo was a city full of contrasts. We saw a beautiful and precious historical centre but right after there was a huge market area full of people and rubbish. We found an interesting hotel, Hotel Victoria, from the historical centre. It works mainly as an hourly hotel (brothel) probably because of the low number of tourists around.

Venezuela appears not to receive very many tourists at all. Even on the Caribbean coast the visitors were mainly locals. Flights to the country are expensive and it still has a bad reputation. People are worried about their safety. We slept one night in Puerto la Cruz air-conditioned bus terminal because hotels seemed to be afraid of accepting anyone in the middle of night. We arrived in the city at 1 AM. Nobody bothered us at the terminal nor did anybody try to rob anything from us. For us, Venezuela's reputation did not correlate with our experiences.

The most interesting part of our journey was the border crossing to Colombia. During the 120-kilometre trip from Maracaibo (Venezuela) to Maicao (Colombia), the bus was stopped twenty-four times for passport checks. Those local passengers who had no papers had to pay bribes. When we finally got to the border, the Venezuelan official stamped our passport with another entry stamp instead of an exit stamp. We don't know if he did it on purpose paving way for future bribes, or if it was a simple mistake. In any case, if we ever decide to return to Venezuela, we might have a lot to explain and to pay.

We went to Colombia to meet our friends Bill and Betty whom we got to know when we were all living in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2005—2006. We met Bill and Betty last time in Cambodia in 2006, and it felt good to see them again. We talked incessantly, wandered in the markets, and exchanged tips for hot new releases in books and in TV shows.

Bill and Betty have the habit of escaping Minnesota winters and this year they had chosen to hibernate in Santa Marta, Colombia. Santa Marta is a popular and polished tourist city. It has a fair amount of beautiful colonial buildings and a nice stretch of beach, and the city is kept clean and safe. The presence of soldiers and policeman seemed a bit exaggerated to us: they were literally everywhere. The contrast to the local living areas was huge. When we stepped out of the old city, we found streets full of trash and houses that looked like they were collapsing any time.

It was a surprise to all four of us how expensive Colombia is. Food is pricier than in the US and in Europe; the cheapest accommodation we found was 20,000 Colombian pesos (US 11$, 9.6€) per night for two persons in a private room; a three-four hour bus ride cost us 20,000 Colombian pesos per person. It is clear that locals do not pay the same prices, at least when it comes to food—otherwise the nation would starve to death.

Of course there is variation in prices. Santa Marta and Cartagena which are jam-packed with American backpackers are the most expensive. When we stayed one week in a local environment in the city of Montería, we got much better value as there were no other foreigners around. Equally enjoyable was our stay in the remote Capurganá although the village lives from tourism. There they had enough competition and obviously too little customers. The place was very quiet. We were staying in a big cottage village with two other guests and had thus all the facilities, including a nice outdoor kitchen with a fireplace, at our disposal.

The highlight of our journey through Colombia was our hike from Colombia to Panama. Despite all beliefs and misinformation, the hike is easy and safe. We did not see any guerrillas nor drug smugglers around although on Panaman side we were forbidden to walk further from La Miel. According to the border guard, there might have been some bandits, or at least there has been suspicious activities at some point in the past. Probably the real reason was protecting the local businesses offering over-priced boat trips between the coastal towns which we felt are way more dangerous than walking in the jungle. It is hard to understand how otherwise safe jungle trail from Colombia to Panama would turn into a dangerous amok run for a short leg of some eight kilometres between the Panamanian towns of La Miel and Puerto Obaldía.

When we arrived in Puerto Obaldía in Panama, we had a most thorough customs check just like years ago in Peru. An obese female officer had to stick her dirty hands to all of our stuff including food, spices, and underwear. After that she dropped carelessly a wireless microphone to the ground damaging the delicate device. We had just had enough of Panama within the first two hours we had been there and decided to head immediately towards Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

How to cross Darién Gap from Colombia to Panama? The trip is relatively easy using boats (10 kg luggage limit) with 273,000 Colombian pesos (US $155, 131€) whereas the cheapest direct flight (with Avianca airlines) from Medellín to Panama City costs 672,000 Colombian pesos (US $382, 294€) thanks to high airport taxes. Third option is to participate in a five-day sailboat tour that costs 880,000 Colombian pesos (US $500, 385€) plus drinking water. By walking some parts of the trail you can save a bit of money, but at the same time you risk getting all of your stuff muddy and wet in the jungle.

Here is the cost breakdown for the bus-boat-plane trip from Montería, Colombia to Panama City, Panama:

• Bus Montería-Turbo 25000 COP (US 14$, 12€)
• Boat Turbo-Capurganá 55000 COP (US $31, 26€) + 600 COP (US $0.34, 0.29€)/kg for over 10 kg
• Boat Capurganá-Puerto Obaldía 25000 COP (US $14, 12€) + 500 COP (US $0.28, 0.24€)/kg for over 10 kg
• Domestic Panama Air Flight Puerto Obaldía-Panama City 168,000 COP (US $95, 81€)13 + 2235 COP (US $1.27, 1.07€)/kg over the allowance of 14 kg.

These were the tourist prices in March 2013. They are not all list prices which are higher. We negotiated some prices by telling the sellers what we are prepared to pay and they mostly accepted. It is a good idea to prepare yourself mentally to be cheated every time your luggage is weighed. If you know the weight and you have decided what you are prepared to pay, they are likely to accept your offer without too much arguing. The worst scam happened to us in Puerto Obaldía with Panama Air. The weight of our possessions had increased overnight 6 kg, Päivi had become 6 kg heavier, and Santeri had magically lost 7 kg.

You can avoid the scam if you leave some of your stuff to your hotel room when you go to check-in for the flight at 8 AM. After the check-in you have some 2–3 hours to re-pack your stuff before the flight. Just make sure you have all your bags in the check-in so they can put their yellow stickers on them after weighing them. When boarding, avoid entering the terminal building because if you step inside, you will have to pay an extra US $2 community tax for the use of the useless terminal. Oh, and one more thing. If the Panama Air web booking system goes crazy and issues you a ticket with a wrong date, don’t count on getting that fixed. Panama Air does not bother to answer emails or serve their customers. Instead, hitching a ride from Colombia to Panama on a cargo boat can save you a lot of money, headache, and that's probably how locals do this otherwise expensive trip as well assuming that you enjoy the luxury of having an excessive amount of time.

How to cross the border between Colombia and Panama? See the documentary film about Crossing the Darién Gap(40 minutes) by Päivi & Santeri, 2013.

We have often received complaints because we have not planned our travels in advance. Understanding how stressful surprise visits and last minute changes are, we have decided to make this up by planning a year ahead starting from today. We have booked all the tickets and made hotel reservations and bought the bus tickets, so there is not even a slightest possibility that this schedule would change. Please check when we will be near you and book an appointment in advance to make sure we will have time to meet with you. You can simply click the date when you would like to see us to reserve a time slot. If you want to invite us over in 2014, you can do that, too, by clicking the calender below. See you around!