But no, this is not what Om means. Prepare yourself for some deep spirituality, my friends.

According to Wikipedia, ‘Om is not just a sound or vibration. It is not just a symbol. It is the entire cosmos, whatever we can see, touch, hear and feel. Moreover, it is all that is within our perception and all that is beyond our perception. It is the core of our very existence. If you think of Om only as a sound, a technique or a symbol of the Divine, you will miss it altogether. Om is the mysterious cosmic energy that is the substratum of all the things and all the beings of the entire universe. It is an eternal song of the Divine. It is continuously resounding in silence on the background of everything that exists.’

Lonely Planet describes it in simpler terms: the bit on the left is the creation (in Hindu philosophy, this is Brahma); the bit on the right is destruction (Shiva), the curved line above the main figure is the ‘mirror of reality’ (the way we perceive reality) and the dot is our essential spirit or soul.

Seven planes, three trains, five buses, one boat, one ferry, countless taxis (old Ambassadors with very spring suspension), even more autorickshaws and a camel later, I am home from India – huzzah!

Here are some fun pics of the local Indian transport:

Why do I love him so? That’s an easy one … joie de vivre! 

He is like Tigger. After some red cordial. On a sunny day. And now he is sailing around the world on a boat full of university students and professors doing Semester at Sea.

Read about his adventures here.

Go on. You will love him too.

Name:

Age: 28

Occupation: Manager, Paperbark Camp

Favourite travel destination?: Berlin because, for me, travel success is gauged on the people I meet along the way. I try to shy away from tourist traps and generally won’t even visit the proclaimed ‘must see’ sites to a destination as I seek true community fun. Berlin’s social dynamic is quite unusual and I assimilate well into the wonderful culture they have there. Most of all, the people are generally very welcoming.

Worst travel experience?: Two and a half years ago my friend Chris and I caught a bus from Budva (Montenegro) to Dubrovnik (Croatia) which should have taken three hours. A well dressed, handsome young engineer from Kosovo was seated next to me and we began to chat about where I’d been on holiday and the conversation quickly diverged to the history of the region and some of the continuing hardships.

It was a sweltering Eastern European summers’ day and we were pleased to have the air-conditioning roaring aboard the bus when he warned me of the troubles he will face at the checkpoints to enter the EU. We queued for the first of two checkpoints and border security – a bunch of heavily armed, war-torn soldiers – insisted that the driver of the bus switch off the engine, no air-conditioning. After an hours wait they entered the bus and began checking passports, they gave a quick glance at my Australian passport and without even a hint of suspicion moved to the gentlemen sitting next to me. He got plucked out of the bus and we waited, sweating it out inside the bus whilst the poor guy had these soldiers search and interrogate him.

The heat inside the packed bus became unbearable, so much so that panic and claustrophobia began to set in amongst the passengers. The soldiers insisted that nobody get off the bus and that the engine stay off. Finally the young man was allowed back on and we continued our journey whilst celebrating the simply luxury that is cool air!

We were now nearly four hours into what should have been a short trip and there were no signs of the coast as we approached another checkpoint. Once again, the same torturous procedure took place as we were plunged into the hotbox and the young Kosovarian professional was pulled off the bus for interrogation. After half an hour, the heat became insufferable; a number of passengers including myself began to freak out. We attempted to get off the bus but the soldiers pointed their guns at us and told us to get right back on the bus – we were quick to turn around.

Another twenty minutes passed and the young Kosovarian who’d been sitting next to me returned to the bus with tears in his eyes. As the bus pulled away on it’s last leg back to the port of Dubrovnik, my neighbour gave insights in to the lives of those in the region and the racist world that still exists between each of the neighbouring countries. He’d only been strip and cavity searched, interrogated and verbally abused because of the label on his passport, a sad truth about the borders that still exist between a number of very similar countries.

Best tips for beating jetlag?: Hmmm, have an all-nighter either side of your holiday.

What is the one thing you don’t leave home without?: Earplugs and eyemask – you can sleep ANYWHERE!

Do you stay in touch with people while you’re travelling?: Absolutely, I travel with many of the people I met on my last holidays by rendezvousing in foreign holidays. I may not have seen them in person for a year or two but we stay in touch via Facebook and make plans to conquer a summer holiday together … So much fun!

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: Oooh, that’s a toughie! My holiday often combines late nights, good food and great bars so there have been many but if I had to recommend one I would suggest Picnic Restaurant in Barcelona. Some friends and I were dining there a year or so ago and we couldn’t help but feel that for some reason, the contemporary Spanish cuisine had some sort of Australian interpretation behind it. Now I realise this is au contraire to my usual travel mantra of seeking out the local experience but the food was unreal; fresh, adventurous and delicate without being too la-di-dah. Sure enough, the owner operator had lived and worked in Melbourne for a few years. Oh, and when you’re in Barcelona, I strongly recommend visiting the Boqueria [food] Market with a basket and intention to buy; the food is irresistible to go make a picnic of your own!

Best kiss?: Haha, she knows who she is …

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: I’ve only hired a car one whilst overseas and that went pretty well driving through Basque country however, there was a flight following that cruise that gave me a fright.

Now I’m not a nervous passenger aboard planes. In fact, I quite enjoy ‘the magic of flight’, as Sir Richard B eloquently puts it. Sticking to my usual policy of having a bit of a late night romp the night before a long haul trip (read-on to hear about my biggest ‘WOW’ moment), we made it to the airport in Bilbao and as soon as my bum hit the seat in the aircraft I was sound asleep, right through takeoff. I began having a pretty relaxed dream about being aboard a plane with two friends from Australia, one of which was trying to make a call from his mobile phone. I tried to explain that you can’t make calls from inside the plane whilst the plane was trying to land and he argued that it, ‘was fine, it’s the new A380, you can make calls from the plane, see?’, as he showed the call connecting.

Snapped from my dream I wake up airborne in my seat, the loose seatbelt stopping me from hitting the roof of the plan. My brain switches to full throttle and time seems to slow as I look around the cabin over the top of the seat to the sheer fear in peoples eyes and wailing noises as the plane plummets; I wake up and the plane is going down, F%#K. My hands project sweat as the realisation hits home that this is it, but when I look out the window the horizon is still as it’s name suggests, horizontal. I felt calm again as I recognise what’s happened. Whilst I was deep in my dream the plane had come across some clear air turbulence (CAT) in the form of a low-pressure trough and dropped 400 feet in a few seconds, to me what felt like 30 seconds. No one was injured, just a few people sick but I honestly thought that was the end. Intense.

What has been the big WOW moment of your travelling life?: Hmmm, I would say this last break had a pretty special moment and it’s pretty fresh in my heart so observing a lion in the wild, soaking up Shibuya and swimming at midnight in Stockholm in summer can all sit to the side for this accolade.

My last night on holidays before the long flight home was spent in a small city in the North of Spain called Vitoria-Gasteiz. It was by utter accident that we happened to be passing through their town on the most special night of their year – the first night of the Virgen Blanca Festival or Fiestas de La Blanca. To be part of a Spanish community festival when the entire city comes together is truly special as there is seemingly little social hierarchy often observed in other countries and the energy is just unreal.

Check out this video featuring a city dousing itself in cheap champagne and singing a song about Celedon (Theledon), ‘A man who built a small house with a window and a balcony’ – cute! Those being (essentially) the sum of the lyrics.

What is your number one travel tip?: Wherever you go, be polite, visually identify locals you think you may connect with and engage them for tips on where to go and what to do. The number of times this has resulted in a wonderful authentic experience I couldn’t count on two hands – not to mention the friends I’ve made.

One of my number one favourite redheads sent me a link to this blog to cheer me up (I am having a craptacular week).

Check out Stuck in Customs for an escape into a world of exceptional photography.

Here’s a relevant quote that I like: ’Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.’ – Ansel Adams

And he was a full-time photographer!

Have you taken a surprising photo lately? Care to share? I would love to start publishing your favourite travel pics so if you’re up for it, please send them through to emma(at)shegoes(dot)com(dot)au

I need your help.

What do you want to see more of on this blog?

Are you happy?

How can I make you happier?

I live to serve you, Precious Readers.

Can you please give me some brutally honest feedback? Bring it on. My loins are girded (what the hell does that even mean?!).

Please help me make this blog better and tell me what you love, what you hate and what would get your moss-free rolling stone rocks off!

Helsinki is an effortless city in summer; all straightforward streets, easy-to-find landmarks and an abundance of cool shops, good coffee and public gardens that appear to be tended by obsessive-compulsive horticulturalists.

I can’t claim to have done everything but I gave Helsinki a red hot go. Here’s what I would recommend to other first-timers;

1. Catch the ferry to Suomenlinna sea fortress

Built in 1748, the Sveaborg fort was built when Finland was still part of the Kingdom of Sweden. Today this impressive group of buildings is UNESCO World Heritage listed as an example of unique European military architecture. Dreary history aside, the fort sits in rambling fields daubed with white cowslip, yellow canola and purple lilacs. Geese and seagulls seem to be the main residents of the island despite the fact that people still live there. Ferry tickets are 6.50€ return with departures every 20 minutes.

2. Visit the Marimekko shop

My credit card started to bleed the second I crossed the threshold of this Finnish design temple. Familiar Marimekko icons such as the red poppy print intermingle with bold new prints that are equally as attractive. Like a butterfly looking for a place to land, I flitted around eyeballing everything until I finally settled on some fabrics. While it wasn’t exactly cheap, I comforted myself with the fact that it was a lot cheaper in Helsinki than it is in Australia. Just like Madonna in 1990, I justified my love.

3. Have lunch at Café Esplanad

After a solid couple of days of three-course tourism body funded meals, it was refreshing to hang out in an old school café and eat a salad. But oh what a salad! For 9€, you get a base of greens, tomato and cucumber to which you can add two ingredients. I chose mashed fresh salmon with dill and olives. Café Esplanad is conveniently located a couple of doors down from the Marimekko shop.

4. Wander around the design district

Helsinki is gearing up for its year in the spotlight by promoting the bejeezus out of its design district. Populated with flagship stores of local creatives as well as curated collections like the Design Forum, art hungry visitors can stock up on pieces of flair with a distinctly Scandinavian aesthetic (think handmade felt creations, fox, reindeer and bear motifs and artisan jewellery). Helsinki is the design capital of the world in 2012.

5. Eat at Market Square

Finland is a fish fiend’s paradise. Everywhere you turn, someone is grilling salmon and selling it dirt cheap. Down at Market Square on the harbour, you can buy touristy knick-knacks, try on fur hats that impart a Russian accent to the wearer and tuck into a healthy fish meal for about 12€. If you’ve had enough Omega 3s to last you until next century, chow down on a reindeer meatball or snack on a punnet of fresh raspberries.

Tell me, Good Looking People, have you been to Helsinki? If so, what did you think? Did you notice how freakishly enormous the seagulls are?

Name:

Age: 42

Occupation: Journalist, mother and domestic goddess

Favourite travel destination? Why?: Close call between Koh Samui and NYC – but I reckon Thailand wins as it never fails to relax and nourish me on many levels.

Worst travel experience?: Last June we flew to the UK with our two kids. On the advice of a naturopath, I gave the eldest (then aged 3) a homeopathic teething tincture in order to relax him and make him sleep on the plane. But oh my lordie  – the only thing it relaxed was his bowel. He pooed all the way from Sydney to Singapore. I think it got to a point where we were getting a round of applause every time we emerged from the toilet.

Best tips for beating jetlag?: Set your watch to your destination time as soon as you take off and try to get into a routine of that time zone.

What is the one thing you don’t leave home without?: Elizabeth Arden’s 8 Hour Cream.

Do you stay in touch with people while you’re travelling?: I email and text but can I take this opportunity to champion the revival of the aerogramme? Come on –  there must still be a need for flimsy sheets of baking paper with un-navigatable, self-adhesive folds. A return to Old Meeja, I say!

Best meal you’ve ever had while travelling?: I had my very first seafood chowder overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco. The dish was gorgeous and served piping hot in a big sourdough bread cob. It was my very first trip to the US, I was 19, backpacking and felt very cosmopolitan and as if I knew everyhting about everything. Good times.

Best kiss?: The one from my dad as I arrive into Newcastle Airport, UK.

Best/scariest/funniest drive?: I drove from Cairns to Ayers Rock in an ancient Volvo that would overheat if you went over 40kms. I was travelling with my then boyfriend who I’d decided I hated. We only had one cassette (yeah, it was 1994) to listen to – U2′s Joshua Tree. It was a long, long journey, Ivan Milat was still at large and ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ took on a great new meaning.

What has been the big WOW moment of your travelling life?: Another tough one – but it has to be seeing Ground Zero within a few days after 9/11. However, if you need something more upbeat – doing the boat trip (with requisite blue ponchos) under Niagra Falls. It was then that I realised the true power of the natural world.

What is your number one travel tip?: Vacuum bags.