"Bus life was good, My role was to drive and fix the beast. I wanted to burn the thing more than once."
Age: 31
Nationality: Finnish
Why were you travelling? The need to explore and experience new things.
Hot or Not? Boiling
What are your talents? I can fix or build pretty much anything. Logic thinking
I started travelling on the bus from? From the beginning of July until September.
How did you get on board? I noticed Nadines' question in the Backpackers South America Facebook Group. She was asking for some advice and needed help to convert a bus into a motorhome. I have experience building motorhomes into full-size buses and smaller vans. I was in Santiago at a friend's house at the moment so I took a 2-hour bus ride to San Antonio to give her a hand. I planned to stay there for a week or so to show how to build the thing. Once I started building that, it came to be my project and I couldn’t leave it unfinished.
First impression of the Yellow Submarine With Wheels? This girl hasn’t got the slightest idea what she has gotten her self into. The bus was an obvious girls buy - retro and cute colour.
Did it live up to its name/reputation? Very often, yes.
What was the biggest challenge that surprised you about the bus life? The bus life was good. My role was to drive and fix the beast. I wanted to burn the thing more than once.
Tell us where & how many different places you slept on the bus. Multiple.
Since we don’t have a bathroom, where was your favourite bathroom location? This exciting app called Tinder provided some nice bathrooms along the way.
What did you sacrifice or gave up during your bus stay? Solo travelling, I’m glad that I did that.
What did you contribute to bus life? Driving, fixing and maintenance. Plus, if I found a new friend from Tinder, we tried to wash the bus families clothes there and get everyone a hot shower.
Best bus travel tip? Coffee and Cerveza.
Your favourite feature of the bus? Nadine's nemesis, aka the roof.
Let's talk about bus breakdowns. Tell us in detail about one experience. So many to tell.. once I was driving and felt that the clutch paddle feels strange. I couldn’t change gears with the clutch. I was able to drive it into a parking lot. I had a few cervezas to start with, put on the mechanical overalls, and went again under the bus. I found the problem, the clutch plate had lost quite a few bolts and was completely loose. I tightened them and added a few lost bolts. I told Nadine that she has to tighten the bolts regularly but at a later date, she had forgotten it.
In 10 years, i will look back and remember: The experience of the bus building was definitely fun and both hard at times. I tried to work from dusk till dawn to get the bus done soon as possible but there was a few main factors to slow us down. The budget kept the costs as low as possible and use second-hand stuff such as the tools; there weren’t tools. One circular saw and one electric drill. I had to be extra creative.. luckily we were able to loan a welding machine and got a gift of a socket set and all the necessary mechanic tools from a friendly guy from Canada.
Jyri welding Working inside the bus Tools gifted to Jyri
If you could relive an experience with the bus it would be? Because we lived in a community, almost every evening, there was a party of some sort.
How do we compare with travelling by public transportation and staying in hostels? Bus life doesn’t work for all. You need to be able to make some compromises and have no schedule.
So you had what it took and you survived. Would you recommend buslife to others? Definitely.
Any advice for us? Please don’t play Vengaboys music.
When we drive our wheels into Canada, what will you do? Have a beer and tell you tips about moose hunting.
Anything you want to tell us? Miss you guys! Come to Australia!
What was your favourite bus meal/drink? The food was always good but my favourite drink was coffee, beer and wine.
What food/recipe did you learn to cook with us? Pasta. A truckload of pasta.
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