je m'étais promis de faire ce carnet une fois rentré. Et comme ça va faire un mois et demi que je suis rentré, je m'y mets. Je vais m'efforcer de mettre des infos pratiques quand j'en aurai, de choisir de belles photos pour me mettre au niveau des maitres en la matière sur ce forum et de ne pas trop m'étendre sur des longues discussions avec moi-même (je ne promets rien sur ces deux derniers points 🤪)
Commençons donc !
1- La genèse
je me dois de commencer par remercier tous ceux qui ont contribué, parfois sans le savoir, à ce voyage. Ce forum a été une mine d'informations sans égale. C'est au travers de longues lectures de posts plus ou moins vieux, mais souvent passionnants que j'ai pu découvrir des lieux magiques comme yellow rock, choisir de passer beaucoup de temps sur escalante ou affiner des prévisions de budget. C'est grâce au forum enfin que, sur les conseils des anciens qui savent, j'ai fait l'acquisition de la sainte bible de l'ouest américain, le vénérable ouvrage que les initiés auquel je me flatte d'appartenir désormais désignent par ces quelques lettres : PTSW
Sans vous donc ce voyage risquait de se résumer à une immersion constante au milieu des chenilles processionnaires. MERCI donc !
Revenons à l'origine de ce voyage, l'envie de revenir 15 ans après une première découverte sur ces lieux magiques. avec une différence notable, nous passons de 2 à 12 dont 6 enfants de 8 à 15 ans. les premières discussions pour préparer le voyage ont eu lieu un an et demi avant la date du départ et il fallait bien ça. la volonté était de revoir des lieux emblématiques, mais aussi de découvrir d'autres choses, loin des sentiers battus. Nous souhaitions également varier les approches (nature, roches, wildlife, villes, culture, sport) pour ne pas se lasser pendant les 5 semaines envisagées (surtout les ados !)
Les dates nous étaient dictées par les vacances scolaires, ce serait donc entre mi-juillet et mi-aout
j'indique ici les éléments de notre voyage si ça peut être utile à d'autres pour préparer le leur
- un budget total pour 4 personnes de 11 807 euros comprenant la totalité des dépenses y compris les repas, l'essence et les souvenirs
- vols par xl airways, départ de SF et retour par LA pour 3479 euros
- une nuit à l'aller à roissy et une autre au retour dans un apparthotel (160 euros en tout) pour éviter de rater nos vols ou nos trains
- 32 nuits sur place du 12 juillet au 13 aout : 16 en campings (385 euros), 10 en logements airbnb (1489), 6 dans des motels ou hotels (638 euros)
- une voiture louée 28 jours avec prise à SF et dépôt à LA. on a pris un SUV chez hertz type 4runner pour 1289 euros. on a été surclassés pour un armada v8 de 390 chevaux, mais on a maitrisé quand même le budget essence à 430 euros avec un peu plus de 5660 km parcourus dont pas mal de pistes
- des repas préparés essentiellement par nos soins (tous les pdj, des pique-niques ou à table) avec une dizaine de restos. on a souvent fait des stocks dans les villes traversées avant d'arriver dans les grands parcs ; ça permettait d'avoir des produits de bonne qualité et notamment des légumes et des fruits. on a également pas mal économisé comme ça et on s'est fait plaisir (si si, c'est possible aux usa !)
- un budget loisir de 850 euros avec un outfitter qui en prend l'essentiel, plus des entrées dans différents lieux et musées. la marche ça coute pas cher !
si certains veulent plus de détails, j'ai fait un fichier excel pour compiler tout ça
je passe sur les détails du voyage aller, je signale juste l'enthousiasme du conducteur du TGV qui a un peu oublié de prendre le virage vers roissy et a filé plein est vers Strasbourg ! ça a fait deux heures de retard, mais vu qu'on avait assuré avec une nuit sur Roissy, pas de panique ! Il valait mieux avec une centaine de kg de bagages pour chacune des 3 familles et 6 ados surexcités.
vol xl airways sans histoires. c'est sans doute les sièges les plus étroits que j'ai eu à tester, et j'tais bien content d'avoir une crevette comme fille, placée entre moi et mon pote, ça a permis de libérer de l'espace.
arrivée à SF et passage de douane hyper rapide (moins d'une heure entre l’atterrissage et la sortie sur le trottoir). on retrouve le taxi réservé la veille par internet pour nous emmener vers le centre et notre appart. il est 20 h et tout le monde est dans le coltard, j'avale une fajitas sèche et m'effondre sur mon lit. la découverte, ce sera pour demain !
Bonjour Christophe
J'adore l'anecdote du conducteur de TGV; je ne savais pas qu'ils pouvaient se tromper...ça m'a bien fait rire
Bonne continuation
Noëlle
Quel démarrage de fou !!! Heureusement qu'une nuit de sécurité était prévue 😉😉😉. Concernant XL (plutôt XS au final selon mon expérience) mon mètre 86 et ma corpulence ne sont pas en adéquation avec cette compagnie que j'ai depuis blacklisté.
"Si partir vivre ses rêves remplit l'âme, les partager après les avoir réalisés la grandit"
"Qui veut apprendre à se connaître commence par explorer le monde"
4- deuxième jour : welcome in foggy SF !
réveil matinal aux alentours de 4h du matin voire plus tôt pour certains qui passeront la journée en mode zombie râleur.
on commence par une découverte du quartier. On est à inner sunset et c'est très sympa. le quartier est calme avec des commerces sympas pas loin. pas de grandiloquence, mais une belle atmosphère. l'appartement est nickel dans une maison partagée sur une rue hyper en pente avec de belles voitures garées. j'adore !
on part ensuite sur le golden gate park tout proche. Pour commencer, on grimpe sur le point de vue du De Young Museum. C'est gratuit et très joli, même si les nuages bloquent un peu la vision. l'état des troupes m'oblige ensuite à annuler la visite que j'avais prévue pour la california academy of science. vu le tarif du truc (35 $), il vaut mieux y être réceptif.
on flane donc dans le (très joli) japanese tea garden avant de plonger plein ouest vers l'océan.
Si ma femme racontait l'histoire, elle dirait que j'ai volontairement réduit les distances du parc pour la forcer à le faire à pied et pas en bus. je ne rentrerai pas dans la polémique 😇
le parc est cependant grand, très grand. avec de beaux bâtiments et des musées dans la partie est. on trouve de belles plages herbeuses plus à l'ouest avec des gens qui y font de tout (freesbee, foot américain, jogging, tir à l'arc, ...). Pour nous, ce fut du soccer !
arrivée enfin à la plage. très belle malgré le temps. Ma benjamine gratte des pinces de crabe et des sand dollar dans le sable, les autres se font un foot (encore !).
l'après-midi se termine, il fait frais, humide et l'envie de tester les canapés du salon taraude certains. on renvoie donc la moitié de la troupe en taxi pour l'appart et le reste se lance dans une remontée à pied de 40 blocs en une grosse demi-heure, ça a dépoté sec !
soirée tranquille ensuite avec grillades au BBQ arrosée de bière US, le pied quoi !
Bonjour Christophe,
Super, il m'intéresse bien ce nouveau carnet en mode troupe familiale ! j'imagine l'organisation que ça a dû représenter, chapeau ! Hâte de lire la suite...😉
merci !
oui, beaucoup de temps de préparation, de discussions. un point important quand on part à plusieurs, c'est d'éviter les frustrations. on s'est dit que si quelqu'un voulait faire un truc, il le faisait. On s'est ainsi séparé à quelques reprises pendant ce voyage pour faire des trucs différents.
Réveil matinal et départ pour le centre où on retrouve une partie de la troupe qui a dormi chez un cousin à San José. on se promène au milieu des gratte-ciels (même si ceux ayant déjà fait NY ou Shanghai nous disent que ce sont des petits à peine dignes d’intérêt 😠).
Puis on traine dans chinatown en déambulant dans les boutiques d'alimentation avec des produits improbables et inconnus (par exemple de superbes concombres de mer !). On finit par un resto chinois forcément et c'est le début d'une aventure ! Le chinois moyen n'est pas discret, cela a déjà été relaté dans ce forum ; se retrouver dans un resto plein de chinois (que ça à part nous), c'est s'exposer à un volume sonore assez violent. Je dois même insister pour convaincre ma fille de rester car elle se sent oppressée. La prise de commande est folklorique car l'anglais approximatif de la serveuse nous oblige à montrer sur le menu et faire des signes avec nos doigts. Le problème c'est que les chinois ne comptent pas du tout comme nous sur les doigts ! heureusement que l'un de nous s'en souvient sinon je ne sais pas combien de plats on aurait eu !
Au final, si le cadre est quelconque et bruyant, les plats sont tout simplement divins.
On repart de Chinatown à pied direction la Coit tower. On a vraiment l'impression d'être dans un film tant ces rues en pente nous paraissent familières. La vue depuis la coit tower est fabuleuse, même si le brouillard persiste à l'ouest.
Et c'est la redescente vers fisherman's wharf pour aller voir les otaries dont mes filles me parlent depuis le matin. On évite soigneusement la rue commerciale pour ne pas avoir à dire non tous les 2 mètres (une glace, un hot-dog, un porte clé, .....) et on va admirer alcatraz et les sea lions.
La fin d'après-midi nous réserve une jolie surprise. j'avais pointé le SF maritime national historical park pour acheter notre pass america the beautiful tranquillement. Tant qu'à y être, on visite les vieux bateaux et tout le monde a adoré. Il y a peu de monde et les bateaux sont grands. les gamins ont passé leur temps à se faire des jeux de pirates et à courir partout. J'ai particulièrement apprécié l'ambiance (mal rendue dans mes photos) dans un vieux ferry à vapeur avec des bancs en bois, des odeurs de cambouis, de beaux jeux de lumière et des véhicules exposés. Je le conseille vivement.
Et on repart à l'appart par le bus (bien mieux pour apprécier les quartiers) pour se refaire le dyptique BBQ-bières
6- quatrième jour : la grande traversée !
L'objectif annoncé de ce jour est une ballade en vélo, mais l'itinéraire n'est pas vraiment défini. Les plus petits de la troupe (8 et 11 ans) clament leur envie de glander quelque part et n'ont pas spécialement envie de se lancer dans une longue route vers Muir Woods (idée initiale). On décide donc d'aller chercher les vélos à fisherman's wharf, de louer des remorques pour tracter les plus petits et de voir au fur et à mesure.
Arrivés sur place, on doit attendre un peu, puis on apprend que nos petits ne le sont pas assez pour loger dans une remorque ou une girafe. Mon sang se glace en imaginant devoir trainer un boulet râleur toute la journée (ma fille, je vous la présenterai à l'occasion). Et c'est là que l'idée de génie frappe : et si nous prenions des tandems ?
On prend donc deux tandems et des vélos individuels et on se lance en direction du golden gate bridge. On trainasse un peu en route pour écouter quelques groupes de musiques, faire des pauses pipi et il parait désormais évident que nous n'irons pas jusqu'à Muir Woods. on s'arrête pique niquer sur une prairie au milieu d'autres américains en masse. On est samedi et ils sont pléthore sur les pelouses avec des tables, des chaises, des tivolis et des bbq. Nous laissons le temps s'écouler en regardant le pont apparaitre au milieu des nuages, il reste juste ce qu'il faut pour que ce soit magnifique !
Et puis c'est la montée vers le parc du Presidio. Mon tandem s'avère en piteux état avec des vitesses inopérantes. La contribution de ma fille à la motricité de l'engin se résume essentiellement à des "allez papa, plus vite !", mais on arrive quand même au bord du pont. C'est vraiment superbe !
Et c'est parti pour la traversée du pont ! Il y a une voie réservée aux piétons et l'autre aux vélos (elles changent tous les jours si j'ai bien compris). Les deux sont assez étroites et blindées de monde. On trouve pêle-mêle des américains sur des vélos de course qui vont vite, des japonais qui se trainent, des touristes qui s'arrêtent n'importe où pour prendre des selfies, un joyeux bordel donc. Ajoutons à cela un vent assez fort et un air plutôt frais qui me fait regretter d'être parti en T-shirt ce matin. Mais l'essentiel n'est pas là, je prend un pied énorme à traverser ce pont et à profiter des vues sur le large. La corne de brume ajoute beaucoup à l'ambiance et on a la chance d'avoir un temps plutôt dégagé avec du soleil.
Arrivés de l'autre coté, on discute pour la suite : Sausalito ou retour ? les enfants nous font clairement comprendre qu'ils n'en ont rien à faire des houseboats et qu'ils voudraient un parc avec de l'herbe. On dit donc adieu à Sausalito et on repart vers la ville. En chemin on s'arrête à sports basement, un grand magasin de sports très bien achalandé. On complète nos équipements de campings pour la suite (cartouches de gaz entre autre) et je me paye mon indispensable ballon de basket !
On rend les vélos et on se finit la journée à l'alamo square park. Les maisons (painted ladies of course, mais pas que) sont superbes et la dégustation de cookies sur l'herbe est assez plaisante. Au final, on aura fait infiniment moins de km que prévu, mais on aura pris le temps de vivre au même rythme que les locaux sur leurs pelouses. Belle journée donc.
C'est le début de notre dernier jour à SF et déjà on regrette de partir. On profite le matin du quartier pour les courses et l'ambiance et on part tranquillement pour mission. J'avais repéré sur internet (roadtrippin) un parcours passant par différents lieux pour faire une base de départ. La transition entre les quartiers de Sunset et Mission au niveau de la chaleur est saisissante, on a du prendre 10 degrés en ressenti et pas un gramme de brouillard.
j'aime bien les murs peints, on en a plein chez nous à Angoulême (capitale de la BD oblige) mais ceux de mission sont plus variés avec des revendications parfois et plusieurs niveaux de lecture. On croise même une artiste à l’œuvre.
On flane un peu, mais les enfants ont du mal à prendre du plaisir, certains ne se sentent pas en sécurité dans ce quartier malgré tout ce que l'on peut leur dire pour les rassurer. On oblique donc vers le Dolorès Park pour manger des cookies sur l'herbe. le parc est encore une fois très beau avec des pelouses, des palmiers, et une vieille école de style espagnol sur un coté. On va voir un playground dans le parc (basket et une sorte de hockey), mais le niveau des basketteurs m'effraie un peu. De toutes façons, je n'ai pas pris mon ballon ! ça reste sympa à regarder. Le reste de la journée se passe sur différents lieux, Embarcadero (où la communauté française organise une découverte de la pétanque !), Buena vista park. SF est vraiment une ville superbe !
Et il est l'heure d'aller récupérer les voitures pour le départ du lendemain. les enfants repartent vers l'appart et les autres se dirigent vers l'agence hertz de Mason street. On se paume un peu dans les rues et je me tord la cheville sur un trottoir juste devant l'agence, je peux continuer à marcher, mais ça tire un peu, heureusement que ma femme est restée avec moi, je ne crois pas que j'aurai pu conduire.
du coup mon copain me passe devant au comptoir et récupère très rapidement un santa fe. de mon coté, une guichetière peu affable me dit d'attendre. 30 mn plus tard, malgré nos demandes répétées, elle refuse de donner plus d'explications et nous envoie vers sa responsable à l'étage. On trouve enfin quelqu'un d'agréable. Elle nous dit qu'il n'y a plus de véhicule disponible dans la gamme demandée et nous donne le choix entre deux véhicules. Le premier est un minivan énorme qui est prêt à partir. On serait à l'aise dedans, mais sa faible garde au sol m'inquiète au vu des pistes que nous souhaitons emprunter. L'autre est en cours de nettoyage, c'est un nissan armada, un V8 de 390 chevaux assez énorme (8 places assises). On n'hésite pas une seconde et on s'assoie devant notre futur jouet. ça nous arrive presque tout le temps d'être surclassés sur les voitures, mais c'est toujours agréable, par contre notre pote fait un peu la tronche en comparant les voitures, il essaie de négocier un armada, mais sans succès aucun.
La sortie du parking est un vrai poème, un toboggan qui tourne sec et où il est impossible der croiser les voitures venant d'en face. Ma femme se lance ensuite dans les rues encombrées de SF et regrette notre saxo française ...
on arrive sans encombre à sunset et on se prépare pour le lendemain.
Ce matin c'est le départ et notre groupe se scinde en deux. une famille part vers Lassen NP et les deux autres vers le lac Tahoe. J'ai préféré zapper Lassen car nous allons ensuite sur le Yellowstone. J'ai du faire par contre 50 versions de ces 3 jours dans la Sierra Nevada, certaines passant par Yosemite (l'appel du mist trail !), d'autres par Calaveras SP ou Sacramento.
On tasse donc nos affaires dans les voitures et l'Armada se révèle plus souple là-dessus que le Santa Fe ! Je n'ai pas envie de quitter SF et, comme la dernière fois où j'avais visité cette ville, je la quitte en me disant que j'y reviendrai, voire même que je m'y installerai.
La route file plein est et les paysages deviennent assez rapidement arides.
Un conseil pour les campeurs : faire des courses dans un gros supermarché de bord de grande ville : on a plus de choix et des prix moins chers que dans les parcs. je m'achète également le guide randy mc nally pour avoir toutes les routes des USA. c'est un guide très utile avec le svilles, les aires de repos, les parcs, ... En plus, il donne des idées pour plus tard : quand je regarde la côte de l'Orégon, je ne vois qu'une succession de SP, ça doit être juste fabuleux.
sNotre choix de visite s'est porté sur le Marshall Gold discovery SP que nous atteignons en début d'après-midi.
C'est la relecture de L'or de Cendrars ainsi que la dernière version des 7 mercenaires qui m'a donné envie de me promener dans ces coins et ce SP relate le tout début de la ruée vers l'or. Malheureusement, la chaleur est écrasante et nous ne trainons pas sur les extérieurs pour nous réfugier dans le visitor center. Celui-ci est très bien fait et présente la vie des indiens, l'histoire de la ruée vers l'or. Les enfants sont tentés par l'activité de recherche de pépites, mais il fait trop chaud et on préfère zapper pour continuer le voyage vers le lac.
trajet sans encombre et arrivée vers 6h sur le Emerald Bay SP.
On s'installe en 15 min grâce à nos super tentes toutes neuves : le montage se fait en tirant 2 sangles, puis on fixe au sol : que du bonheur !
un BBQ, un suppo et au lit !
Je me réveille très tôt encore ce matin, visiblement le premier du camping. je me promène un peu dans le camping avec mes jumelles pour profiter de la belle activité de la faune (oiseaux et écureuils pour l'essentiel). Bien que le camping annonçait un boom d'activité des ours (30 signalement la semaine passée dans le camping), je n'en vois pas un seul.
Je reviens aux tentes pour voir émerger l'un après l'autre mes camarades et on se prend le premier pdj de camping au milieu des chants d'oiseaux et des chipmunks. Je sais que ça fait très "blanche neige" dit comme ça, mais ça a vraiment bien plu à tout le monde !
une sorte de merle bleu, mais je ne suis pas sûr
On met les enfants au travail sur cahiers de vacances et autres joyeusetés (je sais, on est des monstres ...) et la matinée s'écoule tranquillement. On part ensuite pour le lac avec la ferme intention de se baigner. Un ranger nous avait donné des indications pour trouver une petite plage tranquille et il ne nous a pas menti. On est en gros une dizaine, les eaux sont superbes et chaudes et il y a de l'ombre pas loin. Le top quoi !
Les gamins prennent du temps pour eux, pour nager et gratter des cailloux. C'est important ces moments là pour eux pour pouvoir profiter ensuite de journées plus intenses au niveau visites.
Nous repartons vers les tentes pour manger assez vite car nous voulons profiter des lumières du soir sur le lac. après quelques essais, un ranger nous envoie vers un chemin ou les vues son "simply lovely !" Il n'a pas vraiment tort le gars !
On finit par tomber sur un nid de ce qui nous semble être un balbuzard pêcheur. La femelle est au nid et le mâle sur un arbre en face (à moins que ce ne soit l'inverse). Les photos sont un peu justes car la lumière déclinait vite, mais le moment fut magique, surtout quand il s'est envolé (et que j'avais posé mon appareil pour attraper mon téléphone ...)
C'est une très belle journée qui se termine. On a du mal à imaginer qu'on est à 2000 m d'altitude tant les températures sont douces dans l'air comme dans l'eau. J'avais repéré plein de randos sympas à faire dans ce secteur, mais vu l'état de ma cheville, j'ai préféré la préserver pour la suite.
Hello !
Si je ne me trompe pas ton oiseau bleu c'est un geai, nous en avons vu plusieurs nous aussi, à Bryce Canyon et aussi à Séquoïa. Et aussi des colibris au Grand Canyon et à Los Angeles, une merveille ces petits bidules volants! et des chipmunks...et des muled deer...et des squirrel...et des pronghorn...toute cette faune à portée de main, c'est juste génial ! dommage nous non plus pas d'ours🙁
Je viens de découvrir votre début de carnet qui semble prometteur et pensais m'inviter à suivre votre récit si il vous reste de la place quelque part ?!😊 Juste histoire de voyager...
La vie est trop courte pour ne pas en profiter pleinement !
Si je ne me trompe pas ton oiseau bleu c'est un geai, nous en avons vu plusieurs nous aussi, à Bryce Canyon et aussi à Séquoïa. Et aussi des colibris au Grand Canyon et à Los Angeles, une merveille ces petits bidules volants! et des chipmunks...et des muled deer...et des squirrel...et des pronghorn...toute cette faune à portée de main, c'est juste génial ! dommage nous non plus pas d'ours🙁
ça ressemble à un geai effectivement. On est parti aux USA en partie pour profiter de toutes ces bestioles et même si je n'ai pas vu toutes celles dont j'avais envie, je reste comblé au final ! Mais je n'anticipe pas pour la suite ...
Je partage ton point de vue sur SF. J'adoreeeeeeeee...........J'ai hésité moi aussi entre le Lassen et le lac Tahoe lors de mes préparatifs de cet été et j'avais opté pour le Lassen. Manque de chance début juillet la route qui traverse le parc était encore fermée à cause de la neige ainsi que Bumpass hell trail. Quel drame il faudra que je retourne à SF 😉 en retentant Lassen et en incluant cette fois le lac Tahoe qui a l'air sympa mais plus tard dans la saison.
"Si partir vivre ses rêves remplit l'âme, les partager après les avoir réalisés la grandit"
"Qui veut apprendre à se connaître commence par explorer le monde"
Je me réveille encore très tôt ce matin et part dans les bois traquer le zozio (entre autres). Le butin est maigre, mais les ambiances de lever de soleil sont très belles.
Nous plions les tentes (aussi rapide que le montage !) et on bourre tout à la va-vite dans l'armada. C'est ça le problème quand on a de la place, on fait plus attention à bien ranger. Nous faisons le plein coté Nevada (beaucoup moins cher que coté Californie) et on part vers Virginia City. C'est une petite ville créée au moment de la ruée vers l'or et qui a gardé plein de vieux bâtiments dans leur jus. Il y en a des non rénovés (Silver city un peu avant), mais la plupart sont aménagés pour les touristes. Une info importante, ne pas se garer dans le parking de la rue centrale, aux prix prohibitifs, mais chercher un parking gratuit sur la rue parallèle juste au dessus. Il y a même une table avec un peu d'ombre pour pique niquer.
Virginia City est plutôt rigolote à défaut d'être authentique. les immeubles sont jolis, et il y a une ambiance sympa dans les saloons et magasins. ne pas rater celui qui vend des pins, des affiches et des trucs idiots (un spray pour parler canadien et plein de trucs anti-Trump). j'aurai bien mis des photos, mais elles étaient interdites.
Et nous reprenons la voiture direction Winnemucca. je pense que certains vont se demander "pourquoi aller à Winnemucca ?" Je le dis tout de suite, il n'y a pas de site grandiose là-bas, pas de musée topissime, pas de casino grandiloquent. Le premier interet était pour nous de faire une étape pas trop chère pour aller vers le nord. Et finalement, on s'est dit que se faire un motel 6 en bordure d'autoroute nous offrirait une fenêtre vers une partie des USA très présente dans les films. Nous nous sommes donc fait ce trip du motel 6 au milieu des routiers, des travailleurs mexicanos et des VRP (plus quelques touristes). Le resto du soir fut un vrai bonheur avec ses banquettes en sky, les tables comme dans les films. Et pour revenir au motel 6, il était propre, confortable, pas si bruyant (il faut éviter les chambres face à la route et préférer celles face au cimetière !) et avec une piscine qui a bien plu. On prend un peu de temps le soir avec mon copain pour se faire des photos stylées avec les camions qui passent. Je ne sais pas si je vais convaincre beaucoup de monde de passer par Winnemucca, mais on a bien aimé.
Nous avons discuté avec un américain le lendemain de notre passage à Boise. Quand il a su d'où nous venions, il nous a demandé "Why Boise ?" C'est vrai que cette partie du séjour a été fortement débattue. Personnellement je serais bien allé me promener dans les sawtooth faire une belle rando de montagne et un peu de rafting. Malheureusement, les frileux du groupe dont ma chère épouse ont combattu ce scénario de toutes leurs forces. J'ai donc suivi le plan B qui était de découvrir une capitale d'état, puis Crater of the moon.
Notre journée démarre cependant au motel 6 de Winnemucca. on se fait un pdj dans la chambre, le plein de glace puis les bagages. Je prends un peu de temps sur le parking pour rationaliser le rangement car même si le nissan armada est grand, c'est pas une raison pour tout entasser n'importe comment. Je vous montre une photo de ce magnifique résultat :
la journée se résume essentiellement à une traversée de zones désertiques du Nevada, de l'Orégon et de l'Idaho. Ces paysages sont vraiment typiques du grand ouest : du rien à perte de vue et personne ou presque pour y habiter. C'est vraiment à voir, même si cela peut devenir monotone. Je conseille de prévoir une belle playlist pour traverser ces zones (Hotel California, A horse with no name entre autres)
Nous arrivons en début d'AM à Boise au red lion (très propre et confortable, mais un peu cher). Nous y retrouvons nos copains arrivant de Lassen où ils ont trouvé beaucoup de neige et ont du adapter leur programmes en fonction des zones et routes fermées. Ils sont arrivés plus tôt que nous et ont déjà visité le capitole de Boise.
Quelques plongeons dans une piscine fort agréable et nous partons découvrir la ville de Boise. Les guides consultés parlaient de son quartier basque et de cotés très agréables. Il faut bien avouer que le quartier basque se résume à une (très courte) rue, mais pour les reste, le centre ville est bien fichu avec des terrasses, des placettes et une forte impression de tranquillité. Nous trouvons un bon resto à burger avec des serveuses aux petits soins. ce sera d'ailleurs une constante au cours de notre voyage. Je ne dirais pas que tous les serveurs français sont désagréables, loin s'en faut, mais il y a quand même pas mal de disparités. Le fait que la paye du serveur us dépende du pourboire y est certainement pour quelque chose.
Après le resto, nous déambulons dans les rues avant de rentrer se coucher tôt. Nous approchons des zones de randonnées et il n'est pas question de perdre notre rythme calqué sur le soleil !
Réveil sur Boise sans histoire et déjeuner dans la chambre. Je remets tout notre bazar dans la voiture et nous repartons vers le centre ville. Une partie des troupes va faire des grosses courses pour les prochains jours et l'autre va visiter le parc Julia Davis en bordure de rivière. Les gamins emmènent les ballons de foot et de basket pour en profiter. C'est le premier bémol de cette journée car ces ballons ne nous serviront pas autant qu'ils auraient du :
- aucun panier de basket dans ce parc ni dans celui d'à coté. on aurait pu faire du tennis, du base ball, du volley sans pb, mais pas de basket. Tant pis 🙁
- pas de foot non plus car les pelouses sont jonchées de déjections des oies bernaches qui pullulent dans le parc. 🙁 🙁
Nous nous limiterons donc à des dribbles de basket sur les parties bituminées.
Nous pique-niquons dans le parc et je dois me résoudre à abandonner l'idée de visiter le capitole, la journée est trop avancée et les autres ne sont pas motivés ou l'ont déjà vu. Nous quittons donc Boise. Au bilan, je dirais que pour une étape comme nous vers le Nord, c'est plutôt sympa, mais cela ne justifie sans doute pas d'y passer plus de temps.
En chemin, je regarde les sawtooth avec quelques regrets, une autre fois peut-être ?
j'aime bien ces paysages désolés, ils ont une beauté certaine. Je ne m'imagine pas par contre vivre dans ces maisons très isolées, posées au milieu d'étendues poussiéreuses. ma femme me confie qu'elle finirait alcoolique en deux mois si nous nous installions ici ...
Autre attraction que je conseille, ce sont les petites supérettes attenantes aux stations services des bleds de campagne. On y croise les gens des campagnes avec des tenues, des accents et des habitudes alimentaires qui méritent d'y consacrer quelques temps d'observation. sans juger, bien évidemment. Si on a l'occasion de discuter un peu, ne pas la rater.
Nous arrivons à Crater of the moon pas trop tard, ce qui nous permet de monter les tentes dans un vent de force 15 au moins. Après un peu de galère, on finit par y arriver et c'est là qu'une ranger arrive pour nous demander de virer notre tente parce que nous ne sommes pas sur un emplacement (je précise que j'ai bien mis mon petit papier sur le plot dédié à coté de l'emplacement). Après quelques palabres, je ne vois toujours pas pourquoi elle veut que je dégage à l'autre bout du camping. Je clôt la discussion en lui disant que je ne bougerais pas et mes copains sont assez dubitatifs sur ma stratégie. La nana revient avec deux collègues et ils maintiennent leur position jusqu'à ce que je leur dise que j'ai réservé l'emplacement. Ils se détendent un peu et palabrent entre eux. je finis par comprendre que ce site est plutôt fait pour des RV et qu'ils ne souhaitent pas que les gens plantent leurs tentes sur les scories à coté. Comme ils conviennent que rien n'est indiqué dans ce sens, ils m'autorisent à rester; Ouf !
Nous partons ensuite découvrir le parc, les cônes de scories et les tunnels de lave.
Je ne sais pas si c'est les tractations, le vent ou autre chose, mais j'ai du mal à apprécier ce parc. Et pourtant j'adore les phénomènes géologiques qui font un peu partie de mon métier. Mon intérêt se réveille un peu dans les tunnels de lave qui sont vraiment sympas. Une fois revenu aux tentes et le ventre plein, ça va mieux. Je profite avec un copain de l’amphithéâtre et des explications des rangers sur la géologie locale, très sympa.
Journée tranquille aujourd'hui, avec juste au programme un transfert vers le yellowstone. Ma cheville va mieux et me permet d'envisager de marcher un peu plus. On prend un peu de temps au visitor center qui est bourré d'infos top sur la géologie de la région. Si je ne me retenais pas (et si j'avais un peu plus de marge sur le poids des bagages), je partirais avec 4 ou 5 bouquins. Je note cependant leurs références pour le retour.
Le paysage change à mesure que nous allons vers l'Est. Nous retrouvons des prairies, des forêts, des fleurs.
Installation au Madison campground sans histoires. le site est immense et en bordure de bois. le camping est très chouette, plat, ombragé avec la madison river pas loin. Le seul bémol est le bruit de la route qui est vraiment très fort et dure jusqu'à une heure avancée de la nuit.
Notre programme de l'après-midi nous emmène vers old faithful pour prendre quelques infos au VC, puis admirer notre premier geyser de l'année.
La nuit qui suit était redouté par certains qui craignaient des températures très froides. Nous avions prévu des duvets très chauds et des sacs à viande adéquats car je me souviens encore d'avoir vraiment caillé la première année dans les rocheuses. En 2017, avec des températures très douces la nuit, nous n'aurons aucun problèmes.
Le Yellowstone nous tend les bras ce matin, le ciel est tout bleu et la journée promet d'être belle. Nous projetons de nous balader sur Norris geyser basin, puis pousser jusqu'à Mammoth.
Et c'est parti pour la première zone géothermale ! Les enfants adorent tout de suite l'ambiance avec le paysage lunaire, les crachouillis de partout, les couleurs et les geysers. On va passer presque 3 h sur ce site sans que personne ne trouve le temps long.
certains bassins vont vraiment penser à de la porcelaine !
J'adore tous les petits détails dans les bassins, des petites piscines, des concrétions. je conseille de faire également des vidéos pour avoir le son en plus de l'image, en attendant l'odeur !
Nous réussissons à nous arracher à Norris pour aller vers Mammoth. On se trouve une jolie zone de piquenique en chemin et les enfants s'amusent avec des pikas curieux et affamés qui courent autour de nous.
Je retrouve ensuite Mammoth avec un grand bonheur et on a laissé la surprise à nos amis et aux enfants. ils sont subjugués aussi. Cet endroit est vraiment magique ! Nous le découvrons à partir du haut, puis on descend vers le pied des concrétions. La fin de la balade devient dure car le soleil de plomb dans ces ambiances blanches tape vraiment dur !
Je poursuis l récit de cette journée. Le retour au camping nous offre un de ces jolis moments si fréquents dans les parcs US avec la visite de bambi + maman.
Après le BBQ du soir, nous allons voir le grand prismatic tout proche. C'est un de mes meilleurs souvenirs de mon premier voyage aux USA et j'ai hâte de le revoir.
La lumière s'avère assez basse et les couleurs du bord ne sont pas vives et déçoivent un peu ceux qui découvrent l'endroit. Il y a par contre des choses fabuleuses avec ces jeux de lumière.
J'y serais bien resté un peu plus longtemps, mais mes copains veulent aller sur le promontoire en face. Il doit rester une grosse vingtaine de mn avant que le soleil ne soit masqué, mais on le tente quand même. Et ben 20 mn, même en courant, ça ne suffit pas ! On profite quand même d'un joli bleu, mais je conseillerais plutôt de rester au bord pour les lumières du soir.
On revient en se promenant sur les drives, des routes en sens unique qui s'écartent un peu de la route principale. Ça permet de voir de jolis geysers, des fontaines, de la faune ou des rivières en toute tranquillité, je recommande particulièrement Firehole canyon drive qui suit une rivière encaissée. On peut y voir des ospreys dans leur nid et des marmottes au minimum. La firehole lake drive emmène jusqu'à de très jolies formations au milieu des prairies.
-14 douzième jour : hayden valley et yellowstone lake
l'objectif de cette journée est clair : partir à la rencontre des bestioles peuplant le parc. Nous ne sommes pas difficiles, les plus petits étant encore en adoration devant les chipmunks qui tournent autour de nous dans le camping. Les discussions avec les rangers nous ont orientés vers les vallées de lamar et hayden. Nos souvenirs de grands troupeaux de bisons nous orientent vers hayden.
Alors que le reste se réveille doucement, une partie de la troupe se tente quand même les firehole drives tout proches de Madison, on ne sait jamais. Pas de grosses bébêtes à l'horizon, mais de jolies choses quand même avec des oiseaux et de très belles ambiances.
Des jolies grues, on n'aura jamais réussi à les voir de plus près.
Des bernaches, il doit y en avoir des milliers dans le parc et des millions dans tous les USA. Elles sont très belles quand même.
le white dome geyser, Nous ne l'avons pas vu en éruption, mais il est déja très beau au naturel. Avec un peu de patience ça peut le faire puisqu'il y a au max 3h entre chaque éruption
Des petits détails de la zone de great fountain geyser. Un geyser qui crache vraiment très fort, mais un à deux fois par jour seulement et vous aurez compris que nous ne fûmes pas chanceux ce matin là !
De retour au camping, nous embarquons le reste de la troupe et départ pour la hayden valley.
Nous y voyons quelques bisons, dont un qui traverse la route, mais pas de gros troupeaux. Il est vrai que la journée est peut-être un peu trop avancée et très chaude, les bisons préfèrent sans doute le couvert des arbres.
Nous faisons un stop au mud volcano assez rigolo, mais moins spectaculaire que dans mon souvenir.
après le pique nique au bord de la yellowstone river (et un peu dedans aussi !) nous poursuivons vers le yellowstone lake. Le visitor center contient des infos intéressantes, et la vue sur les montagnes enneigées derrière le lac est très belle, avec en plus des pélicans au premier plan.
Nous reprenons les voitures pour finir notre boucle sud du Yellowstone avec l'idée d'aller admirer le grand prismatic depuis le promontoire. Mais un déluge d'eau s'abat sur le parc. Le grand prismatic semble compromis, et nous ne savons pas dans quel état nous allons retrouver nos tentes !
J'avais laissé un cliffhanger insoutenable à la fin de mon dernier message 😎 ! nos tentes ont-elles été dévastées ? avons-nous grelotté de froid en mangeant des boites de haricot froids avant de tenter de dormir dans des duvets mouillés ?
mais reprenons les évènements, car cette pluie a eu un énorme avantage que nous découvrons en approchant du Grand Prismatic : elle a fait fuir tout le monde. Et comme les nuages sont plutôt en train de s'en aller, nous nous garons tranquillement au parking du promontoire (4 ou 5 voitures en plus des nôtres) et profitons d'un promontoire bien dégagé.
c'est vraiment top !
on se fait le traditionnel retour par la firehole canyon drive et nous retrouvons nos tentes intactes et l'intérieur sec. Ouf !
Ah les aléas de la météo 😠 Yellowstone est un parc magique et je dirai même LE parc. Alors c'est sûr dès qu'il y a moins de monde c'est le rêve et cela permet d'en profiter encore plus.
"Si partir vivre ses rêves remplit l'âme, les partager après les avoir réalisés la grandit"
"Qui veut apprendre à se connaître commence par explorer le monde"
Ah les aléas de la météo 😠 Yellowstone est un parc magique et je dirai même LE parc. Alors c'est sûr dès qu'il y a moins de monde c'est le rêve et cela permet d'en profiter encore plus.
Je l'ai trouvé globalement très supportable. On ne se sent pas oppressés sur les sites comme Norris et Mammoth et nous avons trouvé des lieux de pique nique super tranquilles au bord des rivières. La taille gigantesque et la situation nordique lui évite de se retrouver dans la zituation de Bryce, Zion, Arches ou Yosemite
-15 treizième jour : de l'influence d'Eminem sur les rencontres faunistiques
Je me réveille encore une fois très tôt ce matin et vais me promener un peu dans les bois et sur les bords de la Madison river. Il y a une troupeau de cerfs qui broutent, les jeunes courent dans tous les sens. je repère aussi des bernaches (forcément) et un osprey dans le ciel. Il y a des fumerolles au bord de l'eau qui se mélangent avec la brume du matin. C'est vraiment magique et mes photos ne rendent pas du tout l'ambiance ressentie. Du coup, je vous les épargne !
une fois les autres réveillés, on palabre un peu pour savoir où aller. On décide de faire un tour sur la zone de old faithfull. La black sand geyser basin est assez sympa, mais ça caille un peu.
j'adore les petits trucs qui bloblotent un peu partout !
un micro geyser
Nous allons ensuite profiter du vieux fidèle en prenant le pique nique. Toujours sympa malgré le monde. L'idée aurait ensuite été d'aller voir d'autres beaux geysers dans la zone située derrière, mais les horaires sont plus pour la fin d'après-midi. Nous modifions le programme pour aller sur le grand canyon du Yellowstone. Cette zone est magnifique et je ne parviens pas mieux qu'il y a 15 ans à en faire des photos convenables. Ne vous basez pas sur celle ci-dessous et allez en profiter si vous passez dans le secteur.
Après un repas rapide, mais sympathique à canyon, nous décidons de retenter notre chance dans la Hayden valley. Pour cette virée, notre voiture contient les 6 gamins du groupe et ils ont des exigences en terme de musique à bord. Je leur ai fait découvrir Eminem et ils souhaiteraient l'écouter en boucle, ce qui me gonfle un peu vu que je n'ai emmené que 2 titres ! Après quelques palabres, il est décidé que si nous voyons un ours, Eminem tournera en boucle jusqu'au retour au camping.
5 minutes après cette inconséquente décision de ma part, nous avisons un attroupement de voitures sur le bas-coté. Bien évidemment, c'est un magnifique grizzly mâle. Il est un peu loin, mais des personnes munies de longues vues nous en font profiter. Les enfants sont ravis et moi aussi.
la photo prise avec mon 200 mm
De retour dans la voiture, je vois 6 sourires jusqu'aux oreilles sur les banquettes arrières. Je n'ai même pas le temps d'essayer d'argumenter que l'ours était trop loin et que ça ne compte pas que ma femme se gare à coté d'un nouvel attroupement. Cette fois, ce n'est pas un ours, mais un loup. Il est vraiment très loin, mais d'autres charmants possesseurs de longue vue (un achat à prévoir !) nous permettent d'admirer ce superbe animal.
Jouons un peu : où est le loup ?
Nous repartons au son de loose yourself et till I collapse ...
Nous verrons différents attroupements pour des elks ou des bisons, jusqu'à un dernier qui nous offre un jeune grizzly à quelques dizaines de mètres en contrebas de la route. il est même passé à moins de 20 m, c'est à dire en dessous de la limite de sécurité selon moi. les gens se sentaient protégés par le talus à grimper, mais je pense qu'ils auraient été surpris de la vitesse de remontée de la bestiole. Mais passons, tout le monde (moi y compris) s'esbaudit devant le nounours pendant un long moment. On le voit brouter des fleurs, piquer une tête dans la rivière, indifférents aux gugusses du dessus. C'est chouette !
Cette soirée aura vraiment été une réussite, les ambiances de soleil couchant après des pluies torrentielles sont très belles et donnent des paysages au moins aussi intéressants que les animaux qui les traversent. Je ne sais pas si c'est comme ça tous les soirs, mais je pense revenir un jour pour le vérifier !
Sympa d'arpenter le parc en guettant les bestioles. C'est sûr que le jeune grizzly aurait pu causer de belles frayeurs et même beaucoup plus s'il s'était mis à courir dans votre direction. Dur dur le role de dj en voiture 😉😉😉.
"Si partir vivre ses rêves remplit l'âme, les partager après les avoir réalisés la grandit"
"Qui veut apprendre à se connaître commence par explorer le monde"
Quatre jours dans le parc et c'est déjà le moment de repartir. Il y avait encore plein de choses à voir, des randos à découvrir, mais il faut se faire une raison. Nous devons aujourd'hui effectuer un gros trajet en direction de Vernal dans l'Utah. C'est la plus grosse étape en voiture de notre séjour (8h pour 700 km en gros). Elle n'est pas dénuée d’intérêt pour autant car nous avons choisi de traverser le Grand Teton, puis le Wyoming. Je suis la seule personne de la voiture à avoir des souvenirs des ranchs au milieu de la verdure du Wyoming car le reste de la troupe a dormi comme un chipmunk rassasié. pas de photos donc, juste des souvenirs.
Nous avons choisi de quitter le reste de nos amis quelques jours, eux sont partis plein sud pour Monument Valley et Gooseneck. J'avais pour ma part envie de revoir les dinosaures de l'Utah et de les montrer à mes filles. L'avenir me montrera que je n'ai pas fait un mauvais choix !
de très jolis sous-bois à l'entrée du Grand Teton NP. Il y avait aussi des repousses fleuries après incendies magnifiques.
Il parait qu'il y a de très belles randonnées à faire dans ces montagnes. Elles sont en tout cas étonnantes avec ces à-pics au bord du lac.
Quelques consignes à suivre !
Les paysages entre le sud du Wyoming et le nord de l'Utah. J'ai vu également des zones massacrées par l'exploitation du gaz de schiste. Certes il ne s'y passait pas grand chose, mais je ne crois pas que cela soit une raison. Sans parler des conséquences écologiques.
Nous arrivons à vernal sous un orage avec pluie battante. Il est trop tard pour aller voir le musée et on se contente de s'installer à l'hôtel puis faire des courses et des lessives. Je conseille d'ailleurs le comfort inn & suites. Très calme, confortable, jolie piscine couverte et excellent pdj avec gaufres. Le tout pour 65 euros pour une chambre de 4. Il est en pleine zone commerciale, mais proche du musée de Vernal et du Dinosaur NP.
Autre conseil : le cafe rio mexican grill. une bonne nourriture tex-mex avec de la verdure, d'excellentes fajitas et un délicieux guacamole. Les prix sont attractifs et les portions copieuses.
Bonjour Christophe
Très intéressant ton voyage dans l'ouest américain, mais vois tu j'ai surtout fait tilt quand j'ai vu le nom de Winnemucca.
Pourquoi cet intérêt pour cette banale bourgade du Nevada?
C'est que celle-ci y a vu le passage de mon arrière grand oncle au cours du 19° siècle. Ce dernier y a été le premier immigrant à s'y installer de façon permanente, il a assuré les fonctions de responsable du relais de poste pour le compte du gouvernement des USA ainsi que le tenancier du seul hôtel ouvert a cette époque
Mon arrière grand oncle est né à Sombacour (Doubs) le 23 Mars 1830 et est décédé à Winnemucca le 19 Juin 1868
Cordialement!
Bonjour Christophe
Très intéressant ton voyage dans l'ouest américain, mais vois tu j'ai surtout fait tilt quand j'ai vu le nom de Winnemucca.
Pourquoi cet intérêt pour cette banale bourgade du Nevada?
C'est que celle-ci y a vu le passage de mon arrière grand oncle au cours du 19° siècle. Ce dernier y a été le premier immigrant à s'y installer de façon permanente, il a assuré les fonctions de responsable du relais de poste pour le compte du gouvernement des USA ainsi que le tenancier du seul hôtel ouvert a cette époque
Mon arrière grand oncle est né à Sombacour (Doubs) le 23 Mars 1830 et est décédé à Winnemucca le 19 Juin 1868
Cordialement!
Effectivement, vu sa situation, Winnemucca a du être un relais dans les voyages entre la côte et les rocheuses. J'avais entendu parler des immigrants basques dans cette région, mais visiblement, il avait aussi des francs-comtois !
merci du témoignage.
Bonjour ,
Je m'infiltre : le titre ne m'avait pas interpelée mais ta réponse dans la litanie des posts sur 'j'ai pas aimé la Californie' , si ! ! !
Ta manière de raconter l'aventure est super ( monnayer la vue d'un ours avec Eminem : chapeau ! ; le pire : on a fait pareil il y a ... 25 ans, en transposant ... ) mais ton mode de voyage aussi : un peu de regrets, hélas, mais surtout du plaisir en te lisant !
Ta manière de raconter l'aventure est super ( monnayer la vue d'un ours avec Eminem : chapeau ! ; le pire : on a fait pareil il y a ... 25 ans, en transposant ... ) mais ton mode de voyage aussi : un peu de regrets, hélas, mais surtout du plaisir en te lisant !
Merci !
C'est sympa finalement de faire ce carnet, ça me permet de trier les photos et de me replonger dans le voyage en même temps. Ça donne aussi sacrément envie de repartir !
Réveil bien confortable dans un lit ce matin après quelques jours de camping. Nous profitons d'un super buffet pour le pdj. Mes filles découvrent les joies des œufs brouillés aux saucisses accompagnées de patates sautées. Si je ne connaissais pas leurs capacités d’engloutissement, je dirais qu'elles vont vomir tout ça dans la voiture !
Il y a aussi un truc que je découvre : des espèces de trucs ronds en pâte feuilletée que les locaux arrosent d'une sauce assez épaisse. Comme à mon habitude, je tente, mais ce sera la dernière fois !
Nous faisons le plein de glace (très pratique les hôtels pour ça !) et départ pour le musée des dinosaures ! Ce musée est vraiment superbe et très ludique. Mes filles ont adoré malgré une pratique de l'anglais inexistante pour l'une et débutante pour l'autre. J'ai de mon coté trouvé mon compte avec des mines d'informations. Nous y sommes resté en gros 2h et je le conseille vivement si vous passez dans le secteur. Je discute un peu de dinosaures avec la dame de l'accueil, très fière de son musée.
Nous quittons ce joli musée et prenons la direction du Colorado et le Dinosaur National monument tout proche. Je l'avais beaucoup aimé lors de ma première visite, mais y passer juste après le musée n'était pas forcément une bonne idée. Le site reste quand même spectaculaire avec une immense dalle gardée intacte avec tous les fossiles en place.
Je ne regrette pas du tout cette escapade fossilifère, même si nous avons du renoncer à Monument valley pour cela. Je collabore avec un musée charentais qui comporte de belles collections de fossiles dont le plus gros dinosaure connu sur Terre et j'adore ce que les américains font avec leurs musées et expositions. J'ai vraiment envie de découvrir un jour les musées d'histoire naturelle de Chicago et de NY, que plusieurs personnes m'ont décrit comme exceptionnels en la matière.
Mais pour l'heure, il nous faut repartir, nous avons quelques heures de route pour rejoindre Goblin Valley et son camping. Nous y arrivons en fin d'après-midi sous une chaleur écrasante. le site du camping est magnifique, mais comporte deux menaces : pas d'ombre et des rigoles par terre qui me font imaginer ce qui se passe quand il pleut. ça tombe bien, il y a des orages qui tournent dans la région !
Nous mangeons en vitesse pour aller sur le site des gobelins. Nous sommes vraiment vernis car le soleil perce et il n'y a vraiment pas grand monde. J'aime bien ce coin, mais ma plus petite renâcle un peu après une journée un peu longue pour elle. Elle retrouve le sourire de retour au camping à gratter des insectes et des lézards dans le sable en regardant le soleil se coucher !
ces petits hoodoos sont vraiment étonnants. La marche est super facile et on peut y passer de 20 min à plusieurs heures selon l'envie. Éviter absolument le milieu de journée ou l'AM à moins que vous n'aimiez vous dessécher sur place !
Je retrouve l'emblème de ma région : la cagouille !
J'ai également bien aimé le musée et le parc de Dinosaur. Un peu plus au sud il y a Fantasy canyon qui est très sympa en fin de journée pour la lumière.
"Si partir vivre ses rêves remplit l'âme, les partager après les avoir réalisés la grandit"
"Qui veut apprendre à se connaître commence par explorer le monde"
J'ai également bien aimé le musée et le parc de Dinosaur. Un peu plus au sud il y a Fantasy canyon qui est très sympa en fin de journée pour la lumière.
Bonjour Eric !
J'avais vu Fantasy canyon, mais il faut faire des choix et il était au milieu de champs de forages pour gaz de schistes.
Bien d'accord faire des choix est le pire dilemme. Il faut en effet traverser une zone de forage mais après le site en lui même est top au sunset. J'y ai passé 2 heures sans personne en juillet 2016 et cela change des sites surpeuplés.
"Si partir vivre ses rêves remplit l'âme, les partager après les avoir réalisés la grandit"
"Qui veut apprendre à se connaître commence par explorer le monde"
Je vais rajouter ça sur la liste des trucs à voir autour de Vernal avec la partie "Colorado" de Dinosaur NM et les sites de pétroglyphes de Dry Fork (entre autres)
18- seizième jour : un morceau de petit cheval sauvage
Cette traduction foireuse qui paraitra peut-être drôle à certains (ou pitoyable, je vous l'autorise !) se rapporte à Little wild horse canyon. Mon idée était de coupler ce canyon à Bell canyon, mais ma fille est encore en mode schtroumpf grognon et traine la patte. De plus, on voit un ciel bouché et la météo parle de risque d'orage. Les rangers nous disent que ça devrait passer pour ce matin, mais nous conseillent de partir à la moindre alerte. Nous nous contenterons donc du petit cheval, mais les photos vues sur ouest USA offrent de belles promesses.
En partant, nous croisons un joli pronghorn, très courants dans le coin.
L'approche est tranquille, à peine quelques bosses qui font rigoler mon V8 !
On est les seuls sur le parking et entamons l'approche dans le wash. Arrivés à l'entrée du canyon, une petite surprise : il est inondé !
ma femme n'a aucune envie de patauger dans la boue, mais ma grande fille a repéré un passage par le haut. un peu d'escalade et on est repartis !
Le temps est un peu bouché, mais on peut quand même admirer les parois multicolores et trouées de ce canyon. Il restera le plus esthétique du voyage indéniablement.
Les fameuses parois en "swiss cheese"
des passages étroit beaucoup plus jolis en vrai que sur les photos
J'aurais pu passer des heures à admirer et photographier des détails de parois !
Au bout d'une petite heure de marche, on entend un grondement au loin et quelques gouttes tombent. La décision est simple à prendre : nous faisons demi-tour. Au final, nous n'aurons plus ni tonnerre ni eau et le soleil percera même sur la fin. Un peu de regrets donc, mais la sécurité prime. J'espère juste pouvoir revenir découvrir ce merveilleux canyon dans de belles conditions de lumière.
Nous repartons dans le wash avec des lézards qui profitent du retour du soleil (hélas, pas de rattle snake !)
On pique nique juste à coté du canyon en regardant d'anciennes mines d'uranium qui datent de la période de la guerre froide, puis nous partons pour Capitol reef NP. La traversée de ce parc en voiture nous offre de magnifiques paysages. Nous faisons une petite halte pour admirer quelques pétroglyphes au bord de la route.
Et c'est enfin que la pluie qui nous aura tourné autour toute la journée finit pas s'abattre sur nous. Ma femme est très contente de m'avoir fait céder : je prévoyais un camping sauvage au bord d'une piste et nous aurons finalement un hôtel avec piscine couverte. Décidément, je m'empâte !
19- dix-septième jour : Capitol reef le magnifique !
Réveil tranquille ce matin. Nous partons ensuite pour une petite marche dans Capitol reef en destination de Hickman bridge. Vu la chaleur en ce début de matinée, nous n'irons pas plus loin !
Pas beaucoup de monde sur le parking et une montée dans de magnifiques paysages. L'arrivée sur le pont est superbe et on y passe un peu de temps à la fraiche avec un chipmunk qui occupe bien mes filles.
Je retrouve avec plaisir ces rochers en crème fouettée !
le pont, très spectaculaire !
La star du jour...
Nous redescendons et croisons de plus en plus de monde sous une chaleur qui devient écrasante. Nous nous mettons à l'abri dans fruita pour le pique-nique et profitons de glaces achetées à Gifford house (pas chères et plutôt bonnes)
Nous terminons notre passage à Capitol reef par la scenic drive. C'est l'occasion de revoir ces formations rocheuses si caractéristiques.
Nous quittons Capitol Reef après cette brève visite pour rejoindre Escalante. la route 12 que nous empruntons est une splendeur que je ne parviens pas à prendre en photo correctement !
Nous retrouvons nos amis au camping du state park d'Escalante. Ils sont ravis de leur passage par Monument valley et le camping primitif de Gooseneck. j'ai un petit regret, mais on ne pouvait pas tout faire. Les enfants adoptent tout de suite le camping qui grouille d'écureuils et d'autres bestioles. Il y a aussi des rochers et des cachettes un peu partout. On les briefe quand même sur les possibilités de rencontre avec certaines bestioles type rattle snake ou scorpion et des précautions à prendre.
Si les journées sont très chaudes, la température tombe vite en soirée et permet de bien dormir sous la tente.
Réveil pas très matinal pour la plupart d'entre nous (pas, moi, j'aurais rarement dépassé les 6h du matin au cours du voyage). Après quelques discussions, nous optons pour le point de vue sur le waterpocket fold. La route (burr trail road) est magnifique avec des paysages de roches rouges, blanches et des badlands. Je suis bien content d'avoir noté les points GPS pour repérer le tournant avant les switchbacks car il était masqué par un engin. Un peu de tergiversations pour savoir jusqu'où aller avec les voitures sur le bout de piste un peu trop défoncé pour être sûr et nous partons à pied. La ballade est facile et suit un wash très praticable (peut même être faite en 4 x x4). Il y a des jolies formations rocheuses sur les hauteurs et quelques arches sympathiques.
les badlands sur la burr trail
nous arrivons au dernier parking pour 4 x 4 et la marche finale est plutôt jolie avec des roches blanches finement striées. La vue sur le waterpocket fold est fabuleuse. C'est incroyable de lire les effets de l'erosions sur de si grandes distances !
Nous repartons par le même chemin. Les enfants admirent les cailloux multicolores sur les cotés et je me laisse tenter par la photographie la plus crispante que je connaisse : la prise de papillon ! Le pique-nique du soir se fera sur le bord d'une burr trail road déserte, face aux badlands. Nous découvrons le très court et assez impressionnant long canyon sur le chemin du retour.
L'arrivée au camping se fait de nuit et avec une mauvaise surprise. les écureuils si gentils que nos enfants adulent on boulotté notre abri de stockage pour se gaver des cookies ! Nous enlevons en vitesse tout ce qui se mange pour aller nous coucher ensuite. On verra demain l'étendue des dégâts.
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Hi everyone, we're back from a DIY USA road trip we organized from July 31, 2026, to August 26, 2026.
The destination: The Southwest USA, including Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. Roughly 7,000 kilometers covered.
The car: A Chevrolet Equinox for two, rented through BSP Auto and Avis. Inside, we had 2 suitcases, a travel bag, two carry-on bags, a Walmart cooler, photo gear, and water bottles (a 40-pack).
The route: Dallas DFW, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Alpine, El Paso, Tucson, Sedona, Albuquerque, Amarillo, and back to Dallas to finish with a departure from DFW.
The travelers: Two seniors well advanced in years (73 and 75) but still active (nothing too physically demanding—to stay alive and fund our trips), fully independent physically, though a bit less so mentally. Big USA fans, a country where anything is possible. More walkers than hikers, preferring 3-star hotels over roadside motels, Italian restaurants over US food, frequent stops for photos, museums over nothing, naps over forced marches. Not too whiny, just enough to stay French in the land of the "great Satan," as they say.
Not great with languages—street English (but handy), and my Spanish is non-existent except for: "Hola! Una cerveza por favor!" That’s about it. My wife understands everything but refuses to speak.
The cost of the road trip: Around 12,000 €, including AF flights, the car, gas, gifts, visits, and everything else. Well managed, since we’d budgeted 13,500 € initially.
The positive side: A delight, with those endless open roads. Museums to discover. The realization of the Hispanic presence and its important history in this part of America. Lovely locals. Tourists who were more or less friendly. A terrible Texan accent that was hard to understand. Gas stations that were like real stores, with prepared food, alcohol sold in Arizona and New Mexico, and employees who were always up for a laugh!
The negative side: The heat throughout the trip... 43°C in Dallas at the end. Impossible to walk the streets. Lots of homeless people in downtown Dallas. Hotel breakfasts that were always the same. You get used to it.
So, it was positive overall, but the concept is starting to wear us out. We might rethink the DIY road trip model for next time. If the man upstairs grants us more time.
Next up, we’ll wait for the first batch of sorted photos to go through the wringer.
Hi everyone, I’m Patrick, 67 years old, a seasoned traveler (already 22 trips outside Europe).
In autumn 2025, I took my first 3-week trip to Japan, with stops in Tokyo, Kamakura, Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Koyasan, Tokyo again, and Nikko.
I wanted to go back in May 2026 and explore some lesser-known places to complement my first trip.
Last year, there were four of us traveling together to discover Japan (a fairly classic itinerary). This time, I’ll be traveling solo for part of the trip and with a couple of French friends for the rest.
The weather was gorgeous in May, averaging around 25°C, with two very hot days in Kyoto and only two rainy days.
As usual, I organized everything myself, gathering plenty of information from various sites, including this one.
Transportation:
An ICOCA card is essential.
I got a 5-day Kansai-Hiroshima pass because I took the shinkansen between Hiroshima and Osaka three times, and it paid for itself quickly.
Accommodations:
Mostly through Booking. No issues at all. Average cost was 46 € per night.
Meals:
For breakfast, I alternated between buying food at a konbini to eat in my room or on the train and grabbing something at local cafés.
For lunch and dinner, I tried to vary my meals as much as possible—lots of sashimi, sushi, and ramen.
Okonomiyaki in Osaka and Hiroshima.
Oysters in every form (raw, grilled, fried) in Onomichi and Hiroshima.
A variety of seafood (shrimp, shellfish) in Hiroshima and Matsumoto.
Fish whose names often escaped me, but notably mackerel and eel (unagi).
Tempura and gyoza.
Chicken skewers (yakitori) and one teppanyaki meal.
One omakase meal (9 different dishes).
In the end, not much meat aside from a few yakitori skewers. No splurges on super expensive wagyu or Kobe beef.
Average dinner cost: 4,800 yen, drinks included.
The Itinerary:
Day 1: Departure from Brussels
Day 2: Arrival in Osaka
Day 3: To Himeji, then Kurashiki
Day 4: To Fukuyama, then Tomo no Ura, then Onomichi
Day 5: Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
Day 6: To Takahara, then Hiroshima
Day 7: To Kyoto to attend the Aoi Matsuri parade
Day 8: To Miyajima
Day 9: Hiroshima, then Kyoto
Day 10: Southern Kyoto
Day 11: Northern Kyoto
Day 12: Final day in Kyoto, then to Nagatsugawa
Day 13: Start of the Nakasendo Trail (Magome to Tsumago)
Day 14: Second day of the trail (Kiso Fukushima)
Day 15: Third day of the trail (Narai), then Matsumoto
Day 16: To Mt. Fuji (Kawaguchiko)
Day 17: To Tokyo
Day 18: Excursion to Enoshima and Kamakura
Day 19: Flight home, with a 10-hour layover in Hong Kong
Day 20: Arrival in Brussels
"So, my little wanderers, back at the decks? What’s this mystery destination you’ve got in store for us at the start of the year?"
Yes, the schoolyard bell’s ringing again! We’re hitting the road... or rather, the skies! At first glance, our destination might surprise more than a few. First off, simply because I was here exactly twenty years ago, and I don’t usually like retracing my own footsteps. Secondly, because the name of this place screams mass tourism—basically the opposite of what Flo and I look for.
Despite that, in this land of backsheesh, I’d promised myself I’d come back one day to experience it my way. And since Flo told me, during our wanderer chats, that this destination straddling Africa and the Middle East was in her top 2 travel dreams, the stars aligned for this roots-style trip to quickly make it onto our pharaonic festivities program! Unless you’re totally clueless in general knowledge, you’ve probably guessed by now—we’re off to Egypt! Of course, a few classics will be on our itinerary, but above all, we want to soak up a culture that can’t be appreciated in four-star resorts or on a Nile cruise boat. And let’s be clear, these next two weeks won’t be a walk in the park—neither for our two daughters who are joining us, nor for our bodies!
And that’s clear from the get-go: after our first flight, eight hours of trying (and failing) to sleep on Milan airport’s metal seats, our second flight, landing, passport stamps, our Uber ride, and our first Cairo kilometers, we finally drop our exhaustion at the little guesthouse we booked in Giza. Doesn’t all that energy deserve a little reward?
Oh, absolutely! And here it is: a full-on slap in the face for everyone! But just look at this view from our hotel terrace? For 20 € a night for four, even with this incredible view, I figured the room must be pretty shabby, right? Nope... Is the staff rude, then? Nope... Okay, so what’s the catch? You’re gonna tell me breakfast is included too? Well, yes! Honestly, this Egypt trip is off to a great start.
And the rest of the afternoon, spent rubbing shoulders with locals, only confirmed this vibe. After digesting our pyramid view, we dove into the hustle and bustle of our neighborhood with the goal of exchanging money, eating at street stalls, and testing the hospitality of the locals. Ten out of ten!
Eight little sun breads with baba ganoush and falafel? 80 pounds, or 1.5 €. A dozen Middle Eastern pastries? Same! 80 pounds! Two hawawshis, those little pita breads stuffed with meat and spices? 10 pounds each, or about twenty cents! Not to mention all those smiles and free "welcomes" left and right!!!
What a welcome! We end this first day with a sunset over the three sisters of Giza—where we’ll obviously be gawking tomorrow...
Ouverture donc de ce second carnet consacré à l’Ouest américain ! Il faut bien ça quand on aime ! 😉
Nous étions restés dans la charmante cité de Bisbee, qui fit autrefois sa fortune grâce aux mines de cuivre. Aujourd’hui, l’activité minière appartient au passé et la ville semble quelque peu endormie.
Je n’ai malheureusement pas assez enquêté sur place pour pouvoir répondre à toutes les questions que mes diverses observations ont suscitées. Il faudra donc creuser le sujet... sans mauvais jeu de mots ! 😉
Reprenons l’automobile pour poursuivre un peu plus au sud et découvrir l’esplanade qui permet d’admirer — si l’on peut dire — l’impressionnant fond de la mine à ciel ouvert.
Puis direction le quartier de Lowell.
Resté quasiment dans son jus, ce quartier devait être particulièrement animé en son temps. Les automobiles anciennes sont toujours là, les devantures et les enseignes semblent sorties d’une autre époque et l’ensemble dégage une atmosphère assez étonnante. On se croirait presque sur la Route 66 !
Ici, ce n’est pas seulement un vieux quartier que nous découvrons, mais une petite tranche de l’histoire de l’Amérique. Et, détail qui a son importance pour ma santé physique : le lieu n’est pas très étendu.
Tant mieux ! 😉
Je ne vais pas poster trop d’images ici, car je pense pouvoir en tirer une prochaine expo photo.
Entre celles-ci et quelques-unes réalisées sur la Route 66, je devrais avoir largement de quoi faire ! Alors, gardons-en quelques-unes sous le coude... histoire de préserver un peu la surprise. 😉
I hope this travel journal might interest some people, but since we were completely self-sufficient (tent, sleeping bag, pot, cooking over a wood fire…) almost every day, I don’t have many hotel addresses or great restaurant tips to share! Sorry!
We used the Maio map at 1:50,000 scale. It’s part of the Boa Vista/Sal/Maio map. Bought on Amazon, but currently unavailable as of the latest news.
The people of Maio are extremely welcoming and warm, and we were always more than well received in the villages where we pitched our tent!
We’re usually big hikers, but since Maio is a beach island (gorgeous ones, at that!), we alternated a few hours of walking in the morning with some relaxation in the afternoon: beach, reading, fishing, resting…
1 euro = 110 escudos
Day 1 (Friday) Transfers by plane: Fogo-Praia-Maio
We opted for the plane to save some time on transfers, as the boat connections between Fogo and Praia take a while, and those between Praia and Maio are almost nonexistent.
You should budget around 40-50 euros per flight per person.
There are 2 flights per week between Praia and Maio—on Tuesdays and Fridays when we were there (January 2016), but currently on Mondays and Fridays.
A bit of a delay leaving Praia, but we arrived on Maio without any problems around 4 PM.
We took an *aluguer* (shared transport, 200 escudos per person) to the center of Vila do Maio, but it’s totally doable on foot with a backpack.
Since it was already a bit late, for this first night, we dropped our bags at Big Game Maio. A standard European-style hotel run by a very nice Italian family. It’s a bit pricey for us (5500 escudos for 2 people with breakfast), but after our 2 weeks in a tent on Fogo, we were happy to find a little comfort. And the breakfast is ultra-generous, with fresh products (cured ham, fruit, cheese, bread) and top quality. The hotel restaurant offers dishes that are a clever mix of Italian and Cape Verdean cuisine. Excellent!
Little tip: We didn’t try it, but Big Game Maio offers big-game fishing trips, diving, and quad rentals.
The hotel is 2 minutes from Vila’s beautiful beach, and we went for a dip at sunset and took a stroll around town. They’re redeveloping the waterfront with pretty sidewalks and light stone walls.
Vila beach
Sunset behind Santiago
Day 2 (Saturday): rest day + fishing
After 2 weeks of hiking and since Vila is such a peaceful place where it’s nice to take your time, we decided to spend an extra day there. We took the path heading south along the coast to reach Ponta Preta beach in 20 minutes. The path isn’t very pretty because there’s quite a bit of construction going on, which prevents you from really walking along the shore. Lots of real estate agencies, especially Italian ones, have taken over the land. But Ponta Preta beach is a stunning black-sand beach where we had the whole place to ourselves. We decided to go fishing from the rocks.
At 1 PM, the sun was blazing, so we headed back to Vila and dried the fish for the following days.
At 6 PM, we went fishing again, but this time at night from the rocks at the end of Vila beach.
8:30 PM: back to shower and eat at the restaurant.
The rocks and sea at Ponta Preta
Day 3 (Sunday): from Vila do Maio to Calheta de Baixo, via Monte Batalha (path 101) Hiking time: 5h
Since there aren’t many “summits” on Maio, we decided to head to Calheta de Baixo but via Monte Batalha. We left at 8:20 AM and somehow made it to Monte Batalha by 11 AM (2h40 of hiking). But the path is really hard to find in the middle of the dry grass and acacia trees. We kind of cut through randomly, aiming for the summit. Even though it’s not very high (around 300 m), the view is amazing—you can see all of Maio at 360°!
Short 30-minute break. The descent through the “forest” of acacias is even worse for finding your way. We oriented ourselves a bit by the sun to find the road connecting Vila to Calheta. We arrived around 1:30 PM at Calheta de Baixo. A very pretty little seaside village with colorful houses. An idyllic beach, a newly renovated square, and super-friendly people. We pitched our tent facing the sea on the terrace of an abandoned house (after asking the locals for permission).
We cooked some of the dried fish we’d caught the day before, along with fresh beans we’d brought from Fogo (and were still carrying!).
At the summit of Monte Batalha
Calheta
Calheta de Baixo
Day 4 (Monday): From Calheta de Baixo to Morrinho on foot. Hiking time: 3h. Then hitching a bus to Cascabulho, and a car to Pedro Vaz.
We left around 9:30 AM heading north (path 201), following the coastline where the beaches just keep coming—each one wilder and more beautiful than the last: Praia de Soca, Calheta Braca, Ponta de Pau Seco, Calhetina. We reached the dunes of Baia de Santana. There’s no real path, so you have to follow the coast, then go around the dunes, and when you spot the 3 coconut trees, head east toward them to find the track leading to Morrinho. Again, we discovered a village with a Wild West vibe, with colorful houses lined up on either side of a paved road. Just enough time to accept a drink offered by a local before jumping onto the passing school bus that took us to Cascabulho. There, we waited for a ride. A political delegation of 10 cars drove right past us without stopping. Luckily, one of the cars had a flat tire and came by 30 minutes later—and that one, thankfully, gave us a lift! They were heading to the inauguration of a water pump in Pedro Vaz. So that’s where we stopped too. After getting permission from the school principal, we pitched our tent in front of the village school… and became the attraction for all the kids who kept us company until nightfall! A woman gave us 2 jugs of water, but with all that company, it was tough to take a peaceful shower!!
Dinner: pasta with beans.
We were woken up by rain during the night and had to rush to bring all our stuff inside the tent!
The beaches just keep coming...
The dunes
The 3 coconut trees, a landmark to find the track
Day 5 (Tuesday): Rest day and fishing at Boca da Ribeira beach
We packed up at 8 AM because the kids had school. We filled the 2 water jugs that the woman lent us and headed down to camp at Boca da Ribeira beach, which is a bit further east of Pedro Vaz. It took less than an hour to get there. This time, we really were alone in the world! We pitched the tent and spent the day fishing, reading, playing, and swimming regularly because the sun was beating down hard!!! We caught a nice fish that we grilled over the fire in the evening. With the crabs and shellfish we gathered, we made a seafood rice! Yum! What a feast!
That night, once the tent was zipped up, we felt something like rain on the tent fabric. I decided to go out and gather our things, and then—shock!!! It wasn’t raindrops we were feeling and hearing, but bugs attracted by the light!! Not just a few bugs—a huge swarm of them!!! Thousands of bugs covering the whole tent, the ropes, slipping into the seams and hems! Everywhere! The blue tent had turned green!!! After that, it was a real struggle to get back inside without letting any in! A real challenge, and there were always 3 or 4 that managed to sneak in anyway. Total war!!!
Boca da Ribeira beach
Day 6 (Wednesday): From Boca da Ribeira to Ribeira Dom João. Hiking time: 3h30
We woke up leisurely and waited for the sun to dry our things, damp from the dew. A man passed by, and we gave him the water jugs we’d borrowed, which saved us a trip back to Pedro Vaz to return them to the woman.
We left around 10 AM. We followed the sea to Alcatraz, then headed toward Pilão Cão. The path runs alongside the small hills on our right, and we passed above Lagoa Cimidor. The terrain is arid, and the path is hard to find among the many goat tracks.
After 3h30 of hiking, we reached Ribeira Dom João with 2 young people we’d met along the way.
Since it was a public holiday in Cape Verde, the kids didn’t have school, and with the principal’s permission, we pitched our tent in the kindergarten. She even kindly opened the school toilets for us. The neighbor gave us the water we needed to wash up and cook. We cooked beef steaks on charcoal. A nice change from fish!! Charcoal is a widespread artisanal product on the island. People almost never cook directly over wood but always with these big chunks of charcoal.
The hills on our right
Ribeira Dom João
Day 7 (Thursday): From Ribeira Dom João to Vila do Maio. Hiking time: 3h30
We woke up at 6:30 AM to clear out of the school by 8 AM. The neighbor made us coffee to save time. It took us 2 hours to reach Barreiro, another Wild West-style town! Since we didn’t want to walk on the road, we took the old track and reached Vila do Maio in 1h30.
Last night before taking the plane back to Praia the next day.
Barreiro
The old track
The church in Vila do Maio
That’s where this trip ends!
Maio is truly a magical island! A remote, isolated place with incredible, wild beaches and villages with a Wild West feel—colorful houses on either side of well-paved, well-maintained, and decorated streets. And the locals are so warm and welcoming.
Even for hikers like us, it was a great discovery, and we were able to alternate hiking and relaxation with great pleasure! Too bad the area around Vila do Maio is being overrun by real estate construction—ongoing, unfinished, abandoned…
I’m sharing a little recap of this new 4-week trip to China—nothing fancy, just my experience.
We’re taking advantage of the extended visa exemption to return to China for the 4th time. I loved last summer’s trip so much that I’m a bit worried about being disappointed this year. Plus, I’ve had a few hiccups before this departure: my WeChat account got blocked, and I couldn’t recover it (luckily, Alipay still works fine); I couldn’t verify my 12306 account for weeks; Trip.com failed to book our second train; and I’ve got an injury that’ll slow me down during the trip... Ugh, I hate starting a trip with these kinds of issues. Then, oh surprise! Just before leaving, my 12306 account got verified! Super easy to use from that point on—I could book a few train tickets without fees.
We’re sticking with Free’s e-SIMs, which work great in China.
August 2–3
Anyway, on the morning of August 2nd, we took the RER to CDG. As usual, we couldn’t check in online. It’s always a bit frustrating, especially since we didn’t have any checked luggage. We flew with Air China. We arrived at the check-in counter at 9:50 AM, 2 hours and 40 minutes before the flight. The line for our check-in stretched 300 meters across the airport in both directions. What a joke!! We spent 1 hour and 45 minutes in that line just to reach the counter and get our boarding passes. By then, it was 11:35 AM, and boarding had already started at 11:20 AM. The screens showed a 25-minute walk to our gate—on the other side of the airport, of course—plus we had to go through passport control and security... Long story short, the plane didn’t leave without us 🙂 We boarded among the last passengers, and we took off at 12:30 PM. We’d flown Air China four times before, but this time, it felt *really* low-cost. The check-in chaos, the cramped seats (12 seats per row), no music by artists known outside China, mediocre food, and a boarding area at Beijing Airport with only 10 seats—worthy of Ryanair or EasyJet. And yet, the price was sky-high. Again, D.’s vacation requests were denied outside of July and August, so we’re traveling from August 2nd to 30th. We couldn’t have picked a worse time for inflated prices, and with the situation in Iran, we got hit with a 390 € fuel surcharge. I’ve never paid so much for flights—I felt like I’d bought business class, but nope, far from it!!
We landed in Beijing around 4:15 AM. It was 28°C with thick fog. We drove and drove and drove for 20 minutes, as usual in Beijing. Then we went through a first check, a second check, a third check, and waited for our connecting flight at 6:40 AM. A small Airbus A320, but way more space than in the Boeing 777 from the first flight. We landed in Kunming, Yunnan, around 10:15 AM in the rain.
We headed to the subway. You can’t pay at the machines with Alipay here either, so we set up the transport QR code directly in Alipay to scan at the subway gates. The process is a bit long the first time if you haven’t entered your info before, but once it’s done, it’s *so* much easier! We took Line 6 to the terminus for 6 yuan each.
We’d booked a hotel nearby, on the 16th floor. It’s actually studios on different floors of a huge residential building. The view’s pretty nice from here. We settled in quickly—back to those wooden beds, or rather, mattresses as hard as wood, which we *hadn’t* missed...
Then we went out for our first bowl of noodles of the trip and wandered through the shopping streets of the old town.
It was crowded, and the weather was cool—around 19–20°C. We tried a local specialty: milk skin, thick, dried, then grilled with rose jam. Yeah... we won’t be having that again. The taste and texture of the milk skin... no thanks.
We saw a lot of wild mushroom hotpot too. It’s on our list for later. We also passed through the Jinma and Biji gates, where I played with reflections in puddles. I *love* doing that 🙂
At the end of the day, we headed to a temple advertised as open 24/7 on Amap. Of course, when we got there, it was closed. We’ll go back tomorrow. That was the first of many disappointments with Amap this trip—I hadn’t had that issue on previous visits.
We were exhausted after that sleepless flight. Night was falling, and we decided to grab a quick bite without much appetite. We shared a delicious vegetable fried rice for 12 yuan—we even left half of it. The portions are *huge*.
After a couple of small purchases, we headed back at 9 PM, wiped out, after walking 17 km between the airports and these first steps in Kunming. I expected to see quite a few Western travelers here, but we didn’t spot a single one. Instead, we met lots of curious Chinese people, many of them super friendly and helpful—almost *too* eager, like when they’d run to serve us as fast as possible. It’s a bit much, but it’s great to be back!
It was winter, a winter with beautiful weather,
A season that only exists in the southwest of America,
I remember very well what I told you that morning
A month ago... A century ago, an eternity ago...
We’ll go... wherever you want, whenever you want...
Well, yeah, back from our adventure in our enchanting American West just a month ago, we’re already taking a bite out of one of its lesser-known competitors. "Flo, if you had to pick just one reason to justify your love for the U.S., what would it be?" The greasy, dripping burgers? No, I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying it’d be the wide-open spaces... And that’s exactly what our new quest is taking us to—a land on the other side of the globe where the horizon also seems endless, where silence tastes like salty wind and sand, where freedom is measured in kilometers of desert tracks, where the GPS is mostly there to confirm you’re lost in the middle of nowhere... Add to that magic formula the fact that you’ll see more zebras, giraffes, wildebeest, and elephants than people per square kilometer, and you can imagine us setting foot in Southern Africa for the first time, more precisely at the small airport in Windhoek, capital of... of...? Brush up on your geography, damn it! We’re landing in Namibia!!!
To be honest, Namibian landscapes have been flirting with me for ages. So how did I resist this island of temptation for so long? First, the budget. Let’s just say that for the same amount of effort (and kidneys), the bank lets you choose two other adventures almost anywhere else on the planet. Then there were my girls. Yeah, back then, they were too little to dose up on Malarone, the only malaria remedy at the time... Long story short, ten years later, all the planets have aligned. First, I won the Euromillions! Well, almost... Let’s just say my girls are now old enough... not to take Malarone, but to stop following me on all my adventures! Jackpot! "Flo, how about a little two-person caprice, just the two of us, tackling the Namibian tracks?"
As we landed on the runway, first wow effect: The horizon is immense. It’s flat as can be, incredibly flat... So much flat space! Did I mention it was flat?... Looking into the distance, it feels like your gaze could circle the Earth without hitting a single obstacle—until you end up staring at your own backside. "Oh, what a nice view!" Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen my butt from this angle! Touching moment... Sorry, I’m rambling—must be the exhaustion from the three-flight marathon we just powered through via Ethiopia and South Africa... And yet, no time to philosophize about my anatomy. As usual, we want to rack up our first kilometers to be front and center at dawn tomorrow. After wrapping up the tedious Namibian immigration formalities and meeting the 4x4 that’ll be our companion day and night for the next fifteen days, we’re off! We’re not exactly fresh, but we’re ready to tackle the next five hundred kilometers in night mode, cruise control set due south! Just outside Windhoek, the local wildlife—a jackal—welcomes us with a smile: "Welcome to Namibia!" That’s what it said! Honest... Okay, first endless straight road, first flaming sunset, first corrugated dirt track, first Milky Way with zero light pollution... You get it—it’s definitely the day of firsts... First night camping, too, in the big trunk of our Toyota Fortuner parked by the side of the track... The real adventure, the kind that smells under the arms, can finally begin...
Alright, this year, we're heading back to South America!
The initial plan was to retrace the route we imagined in the summer of 2020: a trip to northern Argentina starting from Córdoba.
Unfortunately, the flight to Córdoba no longer exists, and airfares to Javier Milei’s country are both outrageously priced and involve multiple layovers.
So, I tweaked Google Flights every which way and finally found a flight within my budget—departing from Clermont-Ferrand!
Not to Argentina, though...
Our transatlantic flight will cross the snow-capped Andes, landing in Santiago, Chile, with a return from Lima!
In between, two domestic flights and a big road trip loop starting from the coastal city of Arica to explore the treasures of northern Chile.
Our mode of transport: a pseudo 4x4 that won’t take us through sand dunes or devilish tracks but will let us tackle the entire secondary network, including unpaved main roads, while still being insured.
Is the suitcase packed with all-season clothes?
Are the driver’s license and passport ready?
Bank cards and a few euros too?
Off we go for just over 3 weeks of southern wanderings!
--/--
To keep all my esteemed readers on track, here are a few maps outlining the Arica-Arica loop!
1- From Arica to San Pedro de Atacama via Pica and the Salar de Huasco
2- Around San Pedro
3- From San Pedro to Cariquima
4- From Cariquima to Putre
5 - From Putre to Arica
Gas stations in this part of Chile are located in Arica, Iquique, Pozo Almonte, Pica, Calama, and San Pedro de Atacama.
Traveling with just one spare pair of underwear, considering a hot shower a miracle, never staying in the same place too long by sleeping wherever night catches us, taking whatever local, improbable, and rickety transport we can find—this is the DNA of us wanderers. Except this time, the script for our movie is going to be a whole different genre. On paper, the destination doesn’t exactly scream epic adventure: Réunion! And what’s more... we won’t be two, or four, or even ten. We’ll be a solid thirty. All from the same family. Yes, thirty. At this point, it’s not just a trip—it’s a summer camp on the move! Why inflict this on such a peaceful island? Because my brother decided to get married there with his lovely bride. A great idea, you might say... especially when it involves relocating the equivalent of a small Ardennes village 10,000 kilometers from home for three weeks! So who’s stepping up to be the guide and wave the little flag?
So, for an exceptional trip, exceptional stories! Don’t worry, the debates at the supermarket over whether to choose plain chips or roast chicken chips, the beach picnics washed down with ti’ punch, and other rougail sausages to digest by the pool will only make it into the family archives. Here, I’ll stick to the tales of our beautiful escapes, the ones where we explore the wild corners of this little volcanic rock planted in the middle of the Indian Ocean. So where exactly are we headed?
For the first week—the subject of this first installment—we’re taking it easy. We’ll start by rediscovering the coastline, from the Souffleur in Saint-Leu to the Hermitage lagoon, before a little trip to the Cirque de Cilaos and its legendary road with 400 turns, just to get our legs warmed up.
"How about a Christmas market this year, huh? A little romantic weekend getaway...
- Yes! That’d be cool! Strasbourg? Colmar?
- Feels a bit déjà vu, doesn’t it? Plus, slim chance of snow there... And I’d love something a bit more exotic with a touch of originality..."
"Okay, Google, give me the list of the five most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe.
- In fifth place, the Christmas market in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
- Save your breath! Lithuania, here we come!"
We wanted cold, and cold is exactly what we got the moment we set foot in this new, unknown land. As for landscapes, forests and lakes stretch as far as the eye can see across this vast plain, its vegetation scorched by the frost of a winter that’s clearly already well underway here.
Lakes, in fact, set the scene for our first visit to Trakai Castle, whose brick-red towers and walls rise proudly against the azure sky of our first day. Lakes, because this castle was built on an island and is only accessible on foot via a series of walkways spanning half-frozen lake offshoots. I couldn’t have picked a better spot to build my castle! Translation: We’re totally sold! Proof is we spend two hours hiking around the area, alternating between forests, reeds, and cozy houses tastefully decorated for Christmas.
With my girlfriend Christelle, we’ve chosen South Africa for our first trip to Southern Africa, focusing on safaris—after a long debate with a Cape Town/Kruger combo.
But that would’ve meant cutting out St Lucia, which would’ve been harder to fit into another trip.
And St Lucia—thanks to Michel and all those travel journals—we really wanted to go there.
So our 11-night itinerary ended up like this, mostly shaped by school holidays:
- 3 nights in St Lucia
- 1 night in Hluhluwe
- 1 night at Mkhaya Game Reserve (Eswatini)
- 1 night at Hlane Royal National Park (Eswatini)
- 3 nights in Kruger (Berg en Dal / Satara / Tamboti)
- 1 night at Shindzela Tented Camp in the Timbavati private reserve
- 1 final night in Kruger at Lower Sabie
All of this in the off-season and rainy season, just a month after catastrophic floods that killed over 150 people and seriously damaged Kruger’s infrastructure.
I’ll jump straight to St Lucia and skip the loooong journey to get there (with a layover in Frankfurt, landing in Johannesburg, a domestic flight to Durban, and the rest by rental SUV—First Car Rental, perfect, no complaints).
To motivate readers—especially some familiar faces here—I’ll drop in a first photo.
This travel journal is therefore intended solely for my photos, to present a consistent style.
All the shots were taken with a simple Samsung Galaxy smartphone and with whatever was at hand.
All stays combined, I’ve spent the equivalent of three years at most in Thailand, and I’m not a big expert on the country.
However, after many trips, lots of reading on VoyageForum and other sites, and conversations with many locals as well as expats, my view of the country is becoming clearer, though it’s constantly evolving. You never stop discovering and learning.
I guess I wanted to piece together a puzzle, mainly for those who want to get an idea of the country here and for those who miss it.
I don’t know if this minimalist sharing will interest anyone, but it’ll do me good to put it together. After so many months without traveling and then these other long months with VF closed, there’s plenty of material available.
There’ll be a mix of places, periods, and subjects, but it might well be intentional.
I suspect many Thais have dogs because they make excellent guards for the home. Nothing better to deter burglars or to signal the presence of a snake. You’ll often see Thais tapping the top of their dog’s head, but don’t be fooled: it’s a sign of affection from them. Judging by the dogs’ reactions, they’re used to it.
Thailand is one of the countries on the planet where rabies is still present, so keep that in mind. It’s not just bites that can be dangerous, so don’t let just any dog lick you. Especially on a wound, of course.
Even though dogs often fear humans—this dangerous and unpredictable predator—we still need to stay cautious.
Be careful when walking into alleys because the dog will defend its master’s big property, be careful at night, and be careful when they’re in packs.
It sometimes crosses our minds that Thailand isn’t really made for walking around, and dogs are one of the reasons.
That said, it’s not uncommon to see them chasing bikes or scooters. Cars, though, are much rarer—they’re too big.
It seems Thais prefer to give their dogs freedom by not locking them behind gates. Though sometimes the gate is closed, the little side door is wide open. Oh, and sometimes there’s no gate in front of the property, or it’s been broken for years.
You’ll often see dogs sleeping on the side of the road, sometimes right on the road. When you arrive, they move aside nonchalantly—or not at all. It’s less funny when they suddenly appear from thick vegetation, which reminds visitors not to drive too fast. As a result, you’ll notice that dogs with injuries or missing legs aren’t that rare.
Since they believe in reincarnation and respect for all forms of life, they don’t chase dog packs away too much, and they don’t sterilize them enough. Seeing a small pack roaming freely in the countryside, you might think it’s best not to cross paths with them at the edge of a field.
A darker side of this is that euthanasia isn’t often practiced. Twice, we saw dogs at temples on the brink of death, enduring terrible suffering. No one did anything about it. The image (and the smell) of one of them, dying and emitting the stench of death, still comes back to me sometimes.
Some of you may have seen the YouTube vlog of a French woman living in Phuket who was given a little pig by her Thai friends. The well-fed animal quickly became a happy, enormous beast with its own garden. Yet, it didn’t take long for it to fall seriously ill and become incurable. In her video, the French woman described how difficult it was to find a vet willing to perform euthanasia.
You’ll often see bowls by the side of the road. Thais leave food and water in them for stray cats and dogs. Overall, they have a big heart for animals.
If you ever pop into a shopping mall, you might see people pushing their small dogs in strollers. It’s not a gimmick—it’s just that these strollers are provided for customers to put their pets in, otherwise you can’t bring them inside. It looks a bit odd when you expect to see a baby.
When we started looking for a summer destination a few months ago, our first criterion was to avoid extreme heat and heatwaves. We had already been to Norway two years ago and are considering going back in the future for other occasions. So, we had some fun asking ChatGPT which destinations enjoyed a mild climate during the summer without going too far. Among the list provided by the AI were the Canary Islands... The idea of a place we wouldn’t have thought of first, both not too far away and exotic enough, appealed to us: “Hmm, why not?”
This destination had never really attracted me, though Magali was a bit more interested. Five years earlier, COVID had caused a short break in my professional activity, and I had planned a trip because the flight price was attractive, and I was looking for a destination different from what usually appeals to me, more than out of deep interest. From a distance and with a social judgment I acknowledge (it’s not great, but it’s not completely wrong), I had the image of a destination for party-goers enjoying the sun without the slightest interest in local culture, with concrete coastlines and denatured landscapes—everything I detest the most. Still, I had done some quick research on the different islands and spotted Lanzarote for its beautiful volcanic landscapes, hiking trails, beaches, and the impression of a good balance between activity and fewer crowds than Tenerife or Gran Canaria. Then I dropped the idea of going, without ever reconsidering traveling to the Canaries...
Until now! Because we started researching the different islands of the archipelago to see which ones might appeal to us the most. It was La Gomera, the third smallest island of the archipelago, more praised for its hiking trails and preserved nature than for its beaches, away from mass tourism (fifty times fewer tourists than Tenerife) but still a bit more developed than its wild neighbor El Hierro, that caught our attention. Contrary to what might be suggested later, I’m not at all addicted to AI, but I use it from time to time to synthesize quick research or simply for experimentation. Since ChatGPT had started anticipating my tastes lately as if it had become my buddy (often successfully, sometimes off the mark), I asked which Canary Island would suit me best for a trip with my family. The tool answered first with... La Gomera. So, I tested it and teased it a bit to see if this suggestion was well-founded, as the method sometimes makes it contradict itself. But no luck: “You’d appreciate the wild nature of El Hierro, but with family, you’ll find little activity for the kids. You won’t like the touristy vibe of the big islands like Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura. You could consider La Palma, but it’s really La Gomera that will suit you best, based on your interests and the criteria given.” So, we dug deeper into our research and were convinced without a shadow of a doubt that this island was the one waiting for us.
Without knowing it, we had Canarians in our circle who revealed their origins when they heard about our travel plans. One from Tenerife insisted we’d be better off choosing Tenerife (obviously...) because it also has preserved spots and that La Gomera, “you can explore it in two or three days, you’ll get bored quickly...” The other, a colleague from Gran Canaria who had never visited La Gomera, still recommended it without hesitation because it turned out her parents had just gone there on vacation: they loved it and had encountered few tourists. She also tended to think this destination was usually the subject of short stays, but according to what her parents told her, taking your time there was also a great idea. However, in our research, the idea that La Gomera is an island you can explore in three or four days max kept coming up. So, we considered combining its visit with La Palma or El Hierro, the other two that caught our eye. But hopping between islands by ferry represents a significant budget for non-Canarians, even more so for a family of four. Then, scrutinizing Google Maps, it seemed obvious that two weeks were too short to discover two islands as they deserve, and that there seemed to be plenty to see in La Gomera, given its very unique culture. After all, we read that some people spend several months a year there, others never even leave... Finally, these landscapes and this atmosphere, which seemed to us a mix of Europe, North Africa, and Latin America, tempted us. So, it would be two weeks in La Gomera, deal!
La Gomera is therefore the second... well, the third smallest island of the Canaries since La Graciosa was recently recognized as a fully inhabited island. It has the shape of a rough circle about 20 to 25 kilometers in diameter and has just over 20,000 inhabitants, half of them in its capital, San Sebastián de la Gomera, the only real town. Like its Canarian sisters, La Gomera is a volcanic formation that rose about 10 million years ago. The island is very mountainous and rugged, covered with red and black rocky landscapes. Geological activity has shaped, between the sprawling massifs that end in steep cliffs in the ocean, six coastal valleys with tropical vegetation that have favored human settlement. They divide the island like slices of a cake; from the north clockwise: the agricultural Vallehermoso, the rustic Agulo, the green, humid, and fertile Hermigua, the sunny capital San Sebastián de la Gomera, the southern and isolated Alajeró-Santiago, and the seaside Valle Gran Rey. They constitute the six municipalities (more like cantons to our French understanding) of the territory.
The large solidified magma massifs that shape the heart of the island have created a large depression more protected from the sun at its center, allowing the growth of a vast laurel forest, today grouped within the Garajonay National Park, La Gomera’s green lung, which has earned it the status of a World Biosphere Reserve. Its completely European appearance contrasts sharply with the rocky and tropical landscapes of the rest of the island. Thus, the climate varies greatly from one point to another on the island: in summer, you can quickly go from a dry and sunny valley at 35°C to a humid forest area at altitude at 18°C.
La Gomera was populated late. As with the rest of the Canaries, human presence is thought to have begun about 2,000 years ago. Groups of animist Berbers, probably fleeing persecution, gradually populated the archipelago, especially the western islands and La Gomera, becoming its small aboriginal population: the Guanches (or later Gomeros). The animist and pastoral civilization of the Guanches thrived until the Spanish takeover in the 15th century, which, after a short period of harmony and mixing with the indigenous people, suddenly ended in bloodshed... La Gomera later became the “Columbus Island” after Christopher Columbus’s stopover, increasing the blending of populations. In the 20th century, many Gomeros emigrated to Cuba and other Latin American countries in search of a better life, bringing back a mix of cultures and traits quite palpable in today’s Gomeran culture. It is, however, in La Gomera that the vestiges of Guanche culture seem to have left the most traces, in the language, gastronomy, social practices... Moreover, most Gomeros, especially in remote villages, have a particular identifiable type and proudly claim their ancestral roots, even making La Gomera a bit exotic in the eyes of other Canarians.
Perhaps that’s why it has never really wanted to develop its tourist infrastructure too much. If we set aside the tourists who visit for the day by bus or boat from Tenerife on a marked itinerary (and whom we ultimately rarely encounter), La Gomera has remained a hidden gem, a destination focused on nature discovery that attracts hikers, nature-loving divers, and scientists for its fauna and flora, and to a lesser extent, beachgoers who don’t seek overly developed coastlines. Tourist activity is therefore limited. Roughly speaking, you’ll find a majority of Spaniards, including a substantial number of residents from other Canary Islands, many Germans who have a particular fondness for La Gomera and spend long stays there or own second homes, to the point that the German cultural footprint is clearly noticeable in some places (it’s said to be Angela Merkel’s favorite holiday spot), and still quite a few French. The presence of other nationalities seemed negligible to us. Most travelers come mainly for hiking, but it’s also a prime spot for whale watching. Additionally, the seaside resorts of La Gomera—San Sebastián, Santiago, and especially Valle Gran Rey—are well-known destinations for hippies, especially German ones, ranging from chic boho hippies to old-school hippies who’ve been there for decades, quite similar to those you’d meet in India in Goa, Rishikesh, or Paharganj. Thus, practices like naturism, vegetarianism, and local organic production are quite well established in some areas.
Some practical info:
- The round-trip flight from Paris to Tenerife cost us 365 € per person (outbound with Transavia, return with EasyJet), including checked luggage and three seats reserved side by side.
- We chose two bases to explore the island: one week in Valle Gran Rey, reputed to be the most pleasant of the three seaside resorts, and one week in Hermigua, more mountainous and close to the natural park. We booked two houses with balconies and views: the first at 120 € per night, the second at 99 €.
- The round-trip ferry between Tenerife and La Gomera cost us 270 € with the company Baleària Canarias, including discounts for children aged 4 and 12, but I don’t have the exact details. It was a bit cheaper than with the other company, Fred Olsen.
- Finally, we rented a car through the agency Cicar for 360 € for 16 days, which comes to 22.50 € per day.
- Apart from that, we didn’t plan anything and decided the day before or even the morning of what we wanted to do. We didn’t invest in any paper guide on the Canaries, as information on La Gomera was scarce, but we used the very comprehensive site La Gomera Travel, a travel guide published by the Canary Islands Tourism Council, a real goldmine of almost exhaustive information on the island.
Alright, off we go for 16 days of adventure discovering La Gomera!
If I close my eyes and think of the Sultanate of Oman, I first smell a light scent of incense, feel the warmth of a sunbeam on my skin, before sand slips through my fingers. I taste the sweetness of a date, a real candy, then the flavor of coffee with a hint of cardamom and rosewater... I hear the desert wind whistling in my ears, the distant call of a muezzin, then the murmur of water. I open my eyes to see smiles, welcoming gestures, a turquoise sea, rocks ranging from ochre to purple, deep wadis where torrents burst forth, orange dunes, white sandy beaches where tiny crabs scurry at full speed. I see incredible oases emerging between arid mountains. I see abandoned villages that I’d dream were full of life, imposing fortresses overlooking valleys, and lively souks where offers are delicate and negotiation is a mutual courtesy.
All that, and so much more.
This is what I tried to capture in my illustrated travel journal, which I’ll fill in here and there with photos.
I drew this journal “cold,” after my return (actually, I made it this summer, while our trip was last winter). It’s a pretty special format—I bought it in Japan without really knowing what I’d do with it. Well, it found its purpose! Below is a photo of this accordion-style journal: here, it’s only partially open, because when fully unfolded, it’s 5 meters long!
For drawing enthusiasts: The accordion format is both a constraint (each sheet is 9 cm x 27 cm) and a freedom (you can create a fresco). The paper is also a bit special: it doesn’t allow for fine lines, but it takes ink well (liner pen). However, everything has to be done almost in one go (with a very light pencil sketch) because it erases poorly. It absorbs too much water for coloring with markers or watercolors (unless you avoid soaking it), but it works well with oil pastels and their use with a brush and solvent. Since it’s yellowish, it allowed me to create contrasts even with white pastel.
On the right, the "welcome marker"—those dates offered everywhere as a sign of hospitality. On the left, a tribute to those stunning doors worn by time, admired all over the old quarters, including the abandoned ones.
Oman is one of the world’s largest producers of frankincense resin. Incense burners are everywhere, from the simplest clay ones to the most precious handcrafted silver ones...
Hospitality will often lead you to accept a small coffee, an "Omani coffee," very light, subtly flavored with cardamom, maybe a touch of saffron, and occasionally rosewater.
Here, I’ve depicted a man in the common everyday attire of Omanis: the dishdasha, mostly white (during the week and daytime; colors are more common in the evening or on Fridays and Saturdays). While you’ll see some men dressed in Western clothes, they’re very few. The white dishdasha is truly the shared attire of all men. The dishdasha, which has no hood, is distinguished by a small pom-pom attached to the collar, the furakha, which is soaked in perfume. And believe me, Omanis go overboard with it! "It smells like the pom-pom" is an expression that’s now part of our shared language, my husband and I.
Another must of men’s attire is the kuma, a small round head covering, usually white with brightly colored patterns. The keffiyeh is also worn (but without the cord called an agal in Arab countries), and it’s mostly worn by those with roots in the desert, from what I understood.
And what about the women, you might ask? Some are veiled, some in full black (but not a burka—more like a chador + abaya), due to the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whereas the traditional outfit used to be a layering of very colorful dresses. Most of the women we saw wore neutral clothing, a plain veil over their hair, but with their faces uncovered. We also saw many saris and colorful veils—don’t forget that 40% of the population consists of Indian, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi immigrants, who work a lot in tourism, hospitality, restaurants, services, and construction.
Just to clarify, as a tourist, there’s no pressure to wear a veil, and never any disapproving looks. Of course, you’ll save the mini shorts, plunging necklines, bare shoulders, and midriffs for the hotel terrace—but I’d say that’s the same for men and women, and with the sun being strong, it’s better for your skin too.
Here’s the introduction! In the next post, I’ll tell you about my itinerary, and we can dive in!
My buddy Christian and I (Patrick) are off for 28 days in Argentina in March.
We’ve already shared several trips as a duo (Bolivia Peru, Namibia, Laos, Costa Rica).
Since we’re starting from the idea that at our age (65) we won’t be coming back here—there are just too many other corners of the world to discover—we did the "grand tour" of Argentina, with 6 domestic flights to make the most of our 28 days.
Here are our stops:
1) Departure from Brussels to Buenos Aires via Madrid
2) Arrival and first contact with Buenos Aires
3) Early morning flight to Ushuaia. Boat trip on the Beagle Channel
4) Ushuaia: hikes in Tierra del Fuego National Park
5) Ushuaia: last hike and flight to El Calafate
6) El Calafate to El Chaltén by bus. First hike
7) El Chaltén: hike
8) El Chaltén: hike
9) El Chaltén: hike and bus back to El Calafate
10) El Calafate: Perito Moreno Glacier
11) Flight to Bariloche. Car rental and surrounding areas
12) Seven Lakes Region
13) Nahuel Huapi National Park region
14) Flight to Salta. Car rental
15) To Tilcara
16) To Humahuaca
17) To Purmamarca
18) To Jujuy via the salt flats
19) To Cafayate
20) Around Cafayate
21) To Cachi
22) Back to Salta
23) Flight to Iguazu
24) Waterfalls on the Argentine side
25) Waterfalls on the Brazilian side and flight to Buenos Aires
26) Buenos Aires
27) Return flight
28) Morning arrival
Happy reading!..
We landed in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and headed straight to Kasane in Botswana to pick up our car.
Our vehicle is a 4x4 because in Zambia, it's practically impossible to use anything else, especially in the national parks. I’ve already had the pleasure of visiting South Luangwa National Park—it’s one of the reasons for this trip, the main one being to travel in Africa with one of my sons.
First stop: Livingstone on the banks of the Zambezi River. Along the way, we discovered a lovely restaurant at Socrates with a super-friendly owner (we’ll actually stop there again on our way back). We spent our first night in the rooftop tent after a stunning sunset, accompanied by the grunting of hippos in the river.
The next day, we set off early, heading to Kafue NP. In fact, we’ll always leave early—waking up between 5:00 and 5:30 AM and hitting the road an hour later. Kafue is a lesser-known park, mostly forested, and the animals are skittish because they’re not used to human presence. We crossed the park from south to north and came across various antelopes. Near Lake Itezhi-Tezhi, there are plains where wildlife is easier to spot.
After Kafue, we headed to South Luangwa. This journey requires stops in Mumbwa and Petauke. Two pleasant stops where we found lodges (a nice change from the rooftop tent) at affordable prices and met welcoming people.
For me, South Luangwa is Zambia’s most beautiful park—the river is stunning, the landscapes are gorgeous, and there’s a wide variety of wildlife, including, of course, big cats. A tip for those, like us, who aren’t with a guide: if you’re staying near the park for several days, don’t hesitate to do a "game drive" to scout out where the animals are so you can return the next day with your own vehicle. Of course, in the dry season, you’ll want to focus on waterholes to see the animals—and you’ll need a bit of luck too. The elephant population is growing, and we were lucky enough to see around sixty elephants crossing the Luangwa at dawn, spread across several groups. South Luangwa is the westernmost point of our trip, and we’re now heading east to Lower Zambezi.
Lower Zambezi is Zambia’s side of Mana Pools on the Zimbabwe side. We took a boat ride on the Zambezi to see elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and a multitude of birds living along the water and on the river’s islands. The sunset there is also magnificent.
To explore the park, we followed the waterways parallel to the Zambezi, mostly on the western side (see our route). Lower Zambezi is the last park we visit, and the final leg of our trip will be Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls—or Mosi-Oa-Tunya ("The Smoke That Thunders")—are truly impressive, even during the dry season. We saw the falls from both countries: in Zambia for the overall view and the bridge that serves as the border, and in Zimbabwe to get as close as possible to the most spectacular parts of the falls.
This marks the end of our trip, which, despite a blown tire on the road, went off without any major issues. Zambia is a beautiful country that immerses you in wild, still-preserved nature.
The latest travel journal about Turkmenistan dates back to 2019. Here’s a quick update on this vast desert country, which is now a bit easier to visit than before.
This is my first travel journal. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. The country is slowly opening up, but it’s still possible to visit sites where you’ll be completely alone. In five days, I saw two Hongkongers, a few Germans, and a Chilean at the crater, ten Chinese people in a capital bazaar, and that’s it!
It’s possible to visit Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan. The easiest and most economical way is to take a taxi to the border from Bukhara. The trip takes a little over an hour.
Crossing the border takes quite a while because many Turkmen bring back items bought in Uzbekistan to resell in Turkmenistan. For example, diapers, baby products, or beauty products.
It took me over 2.5 hours to cross the border. To visit Turkmenistan, it’s mandatory to have a guide and go through a travel agency. British agencies often offer three-, five-, or seven-day trips for over 1,500 or 2,000 €.
But if your budget is more limited, you can contact a few Turkmen agencies directly by email, and they’ll make you an offer between 700 and 1,300 € for three to seven days. I took a five-day trip from Turkmenabat in the northeast of the country to Dashoguz in the north. The goal was to visit the main UNESCO-listed sites, including Merv, and archaeological sites like Nisa or Gonur Tepe.
Your guide will also be your driver. They’ll pick you up at the border. The formalities are very long because customs officers have to stamp multiple documents, and obtaining the visa you previously requested from your travel agency requires several checks. But the process goes relatively smoothly, even if each step takes a while.
Once on the other side, the first surprise is the brand-new highway all the way to Turkmenabat. A very long line of trucks stretches for several kilometers on the Turkmen side to cross the border into Uzbekistan. According to my guide, Turkmen trucks transport gas and cotton (though not this season, since the harvest is in September), but they mainly fill up their tanks because fuel is much cheaper in Turkmenistan. A full tank for a car costs about 3 €, which is unbeatable.
From the Farap border post, the goal is to reach the city of Mary, which is home to the UNESCO-listed site of Merv in its suburbs, about thirty kilometers away. This city is known as a foundation by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC under the name Alexandria of Margiana. Several fortresses are visible.
After more than three hours on the road, we have lunch at a Turkish restaurant called Aladdin. Several quotes from the president are visible along the highway, but the road is in good condition, and we move along easily. This will be by far the best road in the country—things will get much worse later.
Roundabouts are particularly interesting because they feature emblems of Turkmen culture, like the dog, a carpet, the Ahal Teke horse, or Muslim symbols, even though the presence of Islamic artifacts is quite limited.
After as many weeks as I have fingers on my right hand, we're hitting the road again, fully recovered from our pharaonic adventure. Back in France to drop off our daughters (sorry, girls!), this time it's just the two of us, ready to be welcomed by a new destination. They say it offers one of the richest cultural heritages in the world for those willing to put in the effort. It's the land of the ancient Silk Road, where we'll follow a journey steeped in history and discoveries straight out of *One Thousand and One Nights*. A former Soviet bloc region independent only since 1991, we'll be walking in the footsteps of Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, Alexander the Great, Marco Polo...
Another fun fact about this country: it's strictly forbidden to import porn on your phone. True story. The same goes for painkillers! Unless it's about sodomy—though the two don’t seem connected, that’s just how it is. Don’t ask me why! Anyway, I’m getting off track. Here’s the big question: Where do you think we’ve just landed?... To give you a hint, the locals are known for being incredibly welcoming. No sooner said than done—our first taxi driver, proud to transport French travelers, refused to let us pay for the ride. Great vibes for these two weeks ahead. So, any guesses?
Uzbekistan!!!
This time, I landed in Monastir on a direct flight from Nice, again with Tunisair. We left about ten minutes late, and the flight lasted around 1 hour 30 minutes. A meal was served on board (cucumber salad with Edam-like cheese, carrots, and two small portions of dishes I couldn’t identify—semolina with peppers, olives, and parsley, two small rolls, a square of processed cheese, and a chocolate cake). It’s worth noting because it’s not common on flights this short.
In February, France and Tunisia were in the same time zone, but now Tunisia is one hour behind. This time difference and the flight duration work perfectly for a short 15-day trip since it takes me a few days to adjust to jet lag.
Luckily, I’d asked my hotel about the taxi fare from the airport because the drivers (there were several around me) didn’t hesitate to quote outrageous prices. The actual fare is 20 dinars, but one asked for 120 dinars. I refused, and another offered 60 dinars. I replied, "That’s too expensive—I’ll take the metro!" (Having tried the Tunis metro, I had no desire to repeat the experience in Monastir with a suitcase!). I started walking toward the metro, and one of the drivers caught up with me, saying, "20 dinars is fine!" I’ll skip the details, but the negotiation took a little while.
When I arrived at the hotel, I told the receptionist someone had asked for 120 dinars. He put his hands to his head and said, "They’re awful!" He remembered our phone call two days earlier when I’d booked (he’s the one who told me I could take the metro).
The Mezri Hotel isn’t expensive. I got a sea-view room for 75 dinars (22 €). (I’d booked a balcony room for 90 dinars but wouldn’t have had time to enjoy it.) It’s well-located but noisy because there’s no double glazing.
The receptionist is a very kind older gentleman. He called a friend whose wife is from Tozeur to find out if I should take a bus or a *louage* tomorrow and what time.
I arrived at the hotel around 7:00 PM and had time to stroll along the corniche to the ribat. Despite some run-down buildings, the seaside seemed livelier and cheerier than Sousse’s.
Monastir is the hometown of former president Bourguiba. I passed his mausoleum by taxi. There are Tunisian flags along the avenue by the sea because every year on April 6—the anniversary of Habib Bourguiba’s death—the president of the Republic visits the Bourguiba Mausoleum in Monastir to pay respects.
The taxi driver mentioned other Tunisian presidents. He complained about rising prices and insecurity, blaming President Kaïs Saïed (I’d already heard that security was better under Ben Ali).
At the end of my stay, I’ll take time to explore Monastir, but tomorrow morning, I’m off to Tozeur—a long bus ride awaits me.
Here we go!!!
I left home at 4 AM on October 31st and headed to Barcelona. Driving through Barcelona on the ring road stresses me out a bit, but at 6 AM the traffic is smooth, and I arrive at the airport without any issues. I call the valet, who quickly comes to pick up my car. He takes photos of it from all angles before letting me go.
Baggage check-in hasn’t started yet, and there are already several of us waiting.
Once free, everything happens very quickly. The flight to Abu Dhabi is on time and goes smoothly. I’ve never had any problems with this airline, which I’ve been using for several years.
The flight to Bangkok arrives at 7 AM as scheduled. This is my first time in Thailand and Bangkok. I’m used to traveling in India, and I notice that everything here is well organized—the customs process is quick, and the luggage is already on the carousel.
I booked a taxi on Booking. All I have to do is find the right exit and door based on the agency’s instructions. A large sign with the names of people who booked is posted on a wall. A hostess greets me and calls the taxi, which arrives 5 minutes later. I booked one night at the Lost Inn BKK hotel in the Phra Nakhon district, and we arrive at 9 AM. The welcome isn’t warm, and I have to wait until noon, sitting on a chair, before I can check into my room. I’m exhausted, and sleeping sitting up isn’t ideal. Noon finally arrives—the room is small but clean, which is fine for one night. I quickly take a shower to wake up because I plan to spend the afternoon visiting the Grand Palace. First, I need to exchange some money, and the banks are all close together on the same street, which is very convenient. When I enter one, a hostess gives me a ticket and invites me to sit down. There are about twenty counters, and I wait quietly until my number is called. The exchange is quick, so I can head out to find the Royal Palace. It’s actually very easy, and the walk is pleasant.
Entry to the Royal Palace (500 baht).
It’s magnificent and grand, and there are quite a few of us visiting. The sky is gray, it’s very humid, and a shower interrupts the visit. It’s a vast complex of temples and palaces. The buildings are colorful and sparkling, with a great sense of serenity (without the tourists, of course). I quietly enjoy the place and try to take photos without tourists, which isn’t easy.
Very close to the Grand Palace is Wat Pho, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the capital.
It’s very famous for its 46-meter-long reclining Buddha statue.
Walking around the temple, you can see different representations of Buddha, all covered in gold leaf.
Inside the temple, on one side, monks recite their prayers, while the other side is reserved for tourists who come to meditate in silence.
Before returning to the hotel, I have dinner at an Indian restaurant. I go to bed early because tomorrow’s wake-up call will be very early again.
Saturday, November 2nd
Wake-up at 4 AM, departure from the hotel at 4:30 AM. The taxi I booked via Booking is waiting for me and takes me to the airport. The trip is fairly quick—he takes small roads, and at this hour, there’s no traffic.
The flight to Phnom Penh is on time. Before boarding, I realize I left my fleece jacket on the carousel, but it’s too late to go back for it.
The flight goes well, and customs is quick.
At the exit, I take a tuk-tuk to Julieka’s GH near the museum. The welcome is friendly. I won’t be able to check into my room until noon, so I take the opportunity to exchange some euros on the market street. The street is lined with restaurants, and I’ll have my first meal there.
The museum is right across the street, so I don’t waste any time visiting it.
The representations of Hindu deities are very different from those in India, and I don’t recognize them. Many beautiful Buddhas are on display.
The museum is very pleasant, and there aren’t too many people, which is a plus.
At the exit, I return to the GH, settle into my room—which is decent and clean.
The Royal Palace is 1 km away. I walk along a garden, and at the end of the street is the Tonlé Sap, but I turn right. I arrive at a large esplanade and see the buildings with tiered roofs and glazed tiles. The entrance to the palace is a little further away.
At the entrance, I notice there isn’t the same crowd as at the one in BKK.
Khmer architecture is magnificent. The complex consists of gardens, palaces, pagodas with golden roofs, and slender spires.
The Silver Pagoda houses the small Emerald Buddha, which is actually made of jade. The silver flooring is covered with carpets. Photos are not allowed.
The walls surrounding the pagoda are covered with frescoes depicting scenes from the Ramayana.
My partner and I traveled from Sunday, July 5, 2026, to Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
We spent a long time debating whether to rent a car or use public transportation. In the end, after reading so many posts about travelers getting scammed by police or rental companies—even those recommended by blogs and reviews—we decided to stick with public transport. It worked out really well. Sure, we had a little less freedom to go where we wanted, but it was way less stressful for us.
Sunday, July 5:
Arrived at Cancun Airport. Withdrew cash from the ATM in the terminal just before exiting. The ADO bus counter (they pronounce it "A-Jee-O") is right behind you when you're facing the ATM. Bus to downtown Cancun cost 145 pesos per person.
Stayed at "Rose 5," booked on Booking. The studio was super clean and perfect for one night. The owner’s instructions for accessing the place were very precise, with photos included. Check-in was self-service with a code. The ADO bus terminal isn’t far, and there are shops and restaurants nearby. We really appreciated that the AC was already on when we arrived. By the way, I’d recommend always booking places with AC—it’s *really* hot in Mexico.
Monday, July 6:
Bought a SIM card with data from a TELCEL store. My partner, who’s on Free Mobile, was able to use her regular plan. Just so you know, I found the network pretty unstable. As soon as we left the cities, neither of us—me with TELCEL or her with Free—had any signal.
Another thing to watch out for: roaming charges. I had to turn my SIM back on for less than 30 seconds to get a bank SMS code, and my phone apparently connected to the internet—resulting in an 8-euro roaming fee.
Left on an ADO bus to Chiquila for 278 pesos per person. During our trip, ADO buses were always on time, comfortable, and clean. The AC is *cranked* though, so bring something to cover up with—it gets cold. Some routes were fully booked even in the low season, so try to reserve 1 or 2 days in advance either via the app (when it works) or at the counter.
When we arrived at the ADO terminal in Chiquila, the ferry company counters were right next to it. Ferries leave every 30 minutes, alternating between companies, so no need to book ahead. Just take whichever one is leaving next (330 pesos per person).
When we got to Holbox (pronounced "Hol-bosh"), we’d booked a place via Booking called "Casa de Nana." It was a huge studio with a fridge, cooking plate, and utensils. The best part? The *location*. It was 100 meters from the beach and 200 meters from a Chedraui supermarket. They provided bath towels and beach towels, and the AC worked perfectly. There’s a key box so you can leave your keys inside when you go out. The only downside was that no one was there to let us in when we arrived, so we had to wait a while. The Wi-Fi was good, which was lucky because during our 4-day stay in Holbox, the phone network *never* worked. According to locals, that’s pretty common in Holbox, along with water outages.
Luckily, I’d had the good idea to download an offline map, which helped us find our way back to the place more easily. You can walk there from the dock.
The restaurant next to our place (La Barracuda) was great if you like seafood—I’d recommend their octopus dishes.
Tuesday, July 7:
We did a kayak tour in Holbox’s mangroves at 6 AM. We were looking for a sunrise kayak tour with a French-speaking guide. That’s exactly what we got with "Kayaking Holbox," where Diego, the owner, speaks English and French. He was joined by Gustavo, another guide.
We’d booked for a group tour, but we were the only ones. Diego still went ahead with it instead of canceling due to lack of participants, so we got a private tour at the group rate—really professional of him. They showed us this amazing ecosystem for over 3 hours. We saw all kinds of birds: pink flamingos, pelicans, egrets, frigatebirds... rays, a horseshoe crab, and a little crocodile that was *so* well hidden. Diego and Gustavo have a real eye for spotting animals—I could’ve passed by the crocodile 100 times and never seen it, it blended in so well. Their explanations about the flora and fauna were super interesting. We also got a little break where we tasted mangoes and bananas that taste *nothing* like the ones in France. A real treat—those little Mexican yellow mangoes! I’d definitely recommend Diego and his agency for a French-language kayak tour (1000 pesos per person).
In the evening, we walked to Punta Coco to see the bioluminescence. No need for a guided tour—if you really don’t want to walk, you can take a taxi. At Punta Coco, you have to pass the beach bar/restaurant and then go left into a kind of inlet that forms a lagoon. You have to wiggle your feet or move your hands in the water to create movement, which makes the light appear. Just don’t expect the kind of photos you’ve seen online—they’re all edited! It’s fun to see, but you won’t be dazzled by the light...
Wednesday, July 8:
Whale shark tour with "My Holbox Tours." Why recommend this agency over others for swimming with whale sharks? Simply because Valérie surrounds herself with top professionals to make your experience unforgettable. We were with Captain Fernando, who does everything to position the boat perfectly and make your swim easier. In the water, we were with Humberto, who also goes above and beyond to make sure you have an incredible time. He doesn’t just "supervise" like some guides from other companies who leave you on your own. No, Humberto reads the whale shark’s trajectory and guides you—all you have to do is follow him. He really puts in the effort, even holding your hand to guide you through this quick but intense encounter. Humberto also films the moment and will offer to show you the videos and sell them to you. His footage is really high quality.
Fernando and Humberto also prepared food for us. Special mention for their guacamole! Valérie is there to make sure everything goes smoothly on the boat and to answer your questions in French, English, or Spanish about these animals. If you choose My Holbox Tours, you can be sure you’ll get a top-notch experience.
About the tour itself: before you go, you should know that the sharks can be *really* far away. The day we went, it took 3.5 hours by boat to reach them. The boats are small, and let me tell you—on the way there, when we weren’t going with the waves, it was *rough*. Out of 9 passengers, 4 got seasick. But once you’re face-to-face with the shark, you forget all about that. Even if swimming with a whale shark isn’t exactly a walk in the park—they swim pretty fast, so you need some endurance to keep up. You’ll usually get 2 turns. Our first swim lasted a little over 4 minutes, and the second about 2 minutes because the shark was moving fast and we were still tired from the first swim. It might seem short, but when you’re swimming, it feels *long*. Either way, it’s an experience you *have* to do—but choose your company wisely. On the way back, there’s a stop at Cabo Catoche. Honestly, the snorkeling is pretty disappointing if you’ve done it elsewhere in the world. But the lunch stop at Cabo Catoche is really nice for relaxing (white sand and hammocks).
Thursday, July 9:
Short morning walk to Punta Mosquito at 6 AM. Really nice.
Ferry to Chiquila (330 pesos per person) + ADO bus to Valladolid (300 pesos per person).
In Valladolid, we booked "Casa Lucia" via Booking. The hotel is gorgeous, with a colonial style, and very close to the ADO bus terminal and downtown. It’s super quiet and clean. There’s a shared kitchen you can use with a fridge, microwave, and water dispenser, plus a big table by the pool and a nice indoor terrace. Breakfast was simple but included. The only small downsides were the tiny room and bathroom, no mirror in the room, and a noisy fan.
Friday, July 10:
Not far from the ADO bus terminal is the colectivo station for Chichen Itza. They offer a round-trip to Chichen Itza with an option to stop at Ik Kil cenote on the way back and then drop you off in Valladolid for 370 pesos per person (Ik Kil entrance included).
For the Chichen Itza visit, we’d booked a tour with a guide often mentioned in groups—his name is Juan Pat. He’s a Maya who lives near the site and speaks excellent French. He reserves spots in advance for you and queues up to be the first on-site. It cost 500 pesos per person + entrance fees. His tour lasts 2 hours and focuses mainly on the main pyramid and the ball court. He’s passionate and fascinating, even if some of his claims, as a Maya, might be a little biased. I think it’s *really* important to have a guide—otherwise, you’ll miss so much. You can contact Juan Pat on WhatsApp at +52 985 121 2381.
Afterward, we went to Ik Kil cenote (showers and life jackets mandatory, lockers available). It’s *very* crowded, but still really beautiful with its lush vegetation.
Saturday, July 11:
Since we didn’t have a car but still wanted to visit other cenotes that seemed hard to reach by public transport, we decided to book a taxi for the day. We agreed on 1200 pesos to take us to 3 different cenotes and wait for us at each one. (To find taxis, just look where they park near the ADO bus station.)
He picked us up at Zaci cenote, which we’d walked to. We got there at opening time and were the first ones there—had the place to ourselves for a while! 150 pesos per person. A pretty cenote in the city center with lush vegetation. It’s a bit like Ik Kil but without the deep cylindrical effect.
Cenote Xcanahaltun: the most beautiful cenote we visited. Entry 250 pesos per person. It’s a closed cenote with a hole that lets light in—a cave-like setting. You can kayak inside. There are little fish at the edge that nibble dead skin off your feet. Since it’s closed, the water is *freezing*!
Cenote Palomitas: entry 250 pesos per person. Another stunning closed cenote, even more enclosed than Xcanahaltun. The hole in the ceiling is smaller, so it was pretty dark when we arrived—kind of an eerie vibe. But when the staff turned on the lights, it looked like a "Gothic cathedral" full of bright stalactites.
Cenote Sac Aua: entry 290 pesos per person. The ticket includes a guided cave tour (tip-based). This cenote is really unique with its central island and way less crowded than Suytun. Just so you know, the water is *really* cold in cenotes. In these three, in July, we had the place to ourselves for a while and never saw more than 2 families at once—so peaceful!
Sunday, July 12:
ADO bus to Bacalar (536 pesos per person).
In Bacalar, we stayed via Airbnb with a host named Luli, who offers several rooms with shared bathroom and kitchen.
The room is nicely decorated in a pleasant setting. It’s ideally located near the lagoon and downtown. The shared kitchen is handy. The mosquito net over the bed is useful because there are *a lot* of mosquitoes in Bacalar. Luli provides a water jug, which is really nice. The only big downside is the lack of water pressure in the shower—we had to rinse off by filling a bucket. Also, there’s no real door separating the room from the bathroom. We never met Luli in person, but she was very responsive via messages. The terrace in the middle of the vegetation is lovely.
From the ADO terminal to the place, we took a taxi for 40 pesos. Since this driver was honest about the price (we’d checked beforehand), we decided to use him every time we needed a taxi in Bacalar. Here’s his WhatsApp: +52 983 184 3585.
Monday, July 13:
We did a boat tour on the lagoon with "Bacalar Francophone Activities." Since we were just the two of us, it cost 3500 pesos. If we’d managed to be 4 people, it would’ve been 1000 pesos per person.
We had a private 4-hour tour on the lagoon with Steeve and his very comfortable boat. He’s from Quebec, so his French is perfect. During those 4 hours, Steeve showed us the lagoon’s iconic spots *and* places other boats don’t go. He told us about the lagoon’s history and gave great tips on where to go and where to eat. As a little bonus, he gave us a video taken with his drone during our swimming break.
Tuesday, July 14:
We went to Los Rapidos by taxi (400 pesos round trip) and entry was 225 pesos per person. It’s *very* touristy but really beautiful. You can eat there (expensive), relax, and go down the "rapids" as many times as you want. It’s worth it if you spend a few hours there. You can’t bring in food or drinks—you leave them at the entrance and pick them up on the way out.
Wednesday, July 15:
On Wednesdays, navigation is banned on Bacalar Lagoon, so we’d planned another excursion.
Visit to Calakmul from Bacalar with ABCtours (WhatsApp +52 983 319 8359).
This agency organized a trip from Bacalar to Calakmul with a French-speaking guide. Communication beforehand via WhatsApp was smooth. Mr. Checo, the driver, and Fernando, the guide (who spoke great French), picked us up on the day. Mr. Checo drove very carefully on the long road and always made sure we were comfortable. Fernando is passionate about flora and fauna—he’s a biologist with a degree in ornithology, so he knows *everything* about animals. The slightest sound or song, and he knows what it is. He’s got an eye for spotting them, from the biggest to the smallest.
During the trip, we stopped at km 27 for a short forest walk, then went to see the two main pyramids on the site. On the way back, we stopped at the bat cave for the magical spectacle of millions of bats flying out at dusk. In the end, we saw or glimpsed (some briefly) spider monkeys, howler monkeys, a toucan, 2 tapirs, turkeys, 2 deer, and lots of birds. If, like us, you’re more into flora and fauna than archaeology, I’d *highly* recommend this agency and tour with Fernando.
It’s not cheap, but the road between Bacalar and the site is *long* (3.5 hours). Price: 3900 pesos per person for 2 (3500 for 3, 3200 for 4).
Thursday, July 16:
ADO bus to Playa del Carmen (614 pesos per person).
In Playa del Carmen, we stayed in an Airbnb. The building is on the town hall square, next to the casino.
The best thing about this place is the *location*—super close to Fifth Avenue (La Quinta). The kitchen is pretty basic, but the fridge works well. There are supermarkets nearby. The rooftop pool is really nice. The two big downsides, though, are the soundproofing (you can *hear* the neighbor’s alarm and all the events on the square) and the *total* lack of water pressure in the shower. We had to fill a trash can with water to pour over ourselves. When we told the owner, he said it wasn’t normal and someone would come fix it, but we never heard back. Based on previous reviews, this seems to be a known issue that never gets resolved.
Playa del Carmen is *very* touristy on Fifth Avenue, but in a fun, musical vibe—we never felt unsafe. There are *tons* of little souvenir shops for tourists on this street. There’s a beautiful monumental sculpture on the beach (the two figures meeting in the air), next to which you can see the Voladores show (men climbing a pole, tying themselves with ropes, and descending headfirst while "flying" around the pole). The show is tip-based and happens several times a day. In our opinion, Calle 38 is prettier than Fifth Avenue—it’s lush, green, and quieter, with the sea at the end. Great for an early evening stroll. We had really good meals at great prices at "El Tio Noy" tacos, just a few meters from Fifth Avenue in a side street.
For souvenirs, we’d recommend going to Walmart instead of Fifth Avenue—you’ll find skulls, tequila, mezcal, keychains, mugs, glasses... at good, fixed prices.
Friday, July 17:
We did the excursion to Isla Contoy. Isla Contoy is an uninhabited, highly protected island. Only 200 people are allowed to land per day on a rotating basis, so only a few companies have permission to dock there. Most agencies subcontract the day to a third-party company.
We booked through VRM (Viviendo Riviera Maya), but it was Ocean Tours Mexico that handled the tour. Contoy is a little paradise. We were accompanied by multilingual guides, including French speakers, throughout the day. Steffy gave us info about the island during a short walk on the marked trails, and Leño Tlatemoa kept the mood up on the boat rides with music and dancing. Isla Contoy is *truly* stunning, and the lunch was delicious: grilled fish and chicken, guacamole and tortilla chips, rice, fruit, drinks (everything is brought and taken back by the guides). The snorkeling part was pretty disappointing if you’ve done it in Cozumel, though. The stop at Isla Mujeres isn’t very interesting either—it’s too short to explore, and the island is *extremely* touristy. Still, the excursion was very well organized, and we had a great day (2970 pesos per person).
Saturday, July 18:
We wanted to go snorkeling in Cozumel but thought the prices from French-speaking agencies were too high. Plus, for snorkeling, we figured we didn’t *need* a French-speaking guide.
So we found a much cheaper solution by taking the ferry from Playa del Carmen ourselves and choosing an agency in Playa. The round-trip ferry cost 663.50 pesos per person. Then we took a taxi to the snorkeling boat (100 pesos). The agency we chose is called Mystic Snorkel—they don’t have a physical office. The tour cost 1400 pesos per person. It was a small boat, but that day we were the only ones, so we got a private tour at the group rate. We stopped at 4 different sites, all very different and beautiful. We saw all kinds of fish, corals, a nurse shark, and turtles. El Cielo, with its huge starfish, is *exceptional*. If you’re going snorkeling in the Yucatan Peninsula, this is *the* tour to do—the other sites are pretty "poor" in comparison.
Sunday, July 19:
Morning dive with Triton Diving. I chose the Cozumel dive option. Great experience.
Booking via WhatsApp was easy. On the day of the dive, Selene, who speaks French, was our guide. She’s *very* attentive to the group’s safety. The briefings are clear and precise. In Cozumel, we did 2 very different sites: the first was a drift dive with lots of life—beautiful corals and fish. The second was a wreck, the C53, a 56-meter boat you can enter. Not much marine life, but a beautiful wreck intentionally sunk for divers—still in great condition. An unforgettable moment. Selene even took videos during the dive, which the club sends you for free afterward. I’d *highly* recommend this club.
Just so you know, in Playa del Carmen, the beaches were full of sargassum during our stay, despite barriers and daily cleanup. Locals told us the problem is getting worse and the sargassum is arriving earlier in the season. Tourism has taken a *big* hit this summer, and they’re wondering if tourism can even survive the sargassum season anymore. A lot of tourists are heading to the islands—Isla Mujeres and Cozumel—to enjoy the beaches, as the west side of those islands is sargassum-free.
Monday, July 20:
Colectivo to Puerto Morelos. First, a colectivo toward Cancun that drops you off between Puerto Morelos town and Puerto Morelos beach (40 pesos per person), then another from that junction to the beach (10 pesos per person).
In Puerto Morelos, we’d booked a room via Airbnb at "Piedra del Caribe." *Best* place we stayed in Mexico. It’s an aparthotel. Our room was ready before check-in, so they let us in early. The place matched the description—spacious, with a comfortable king-size bed. The shower had *great* pressure, which isn’t a given in Mexico. The staff was super friendly and welcoming. They let us use the pool, restrooms, and rooftop shower after check-out while we waited for our ride to Cancun Airport. They even kept our luggage. I *highly* recommend this place.
In Puerto Morelos, there was *way* less sargassum than in Playa del Carmen—it was actually swimmable.
We did the snorkeling tour with the fishermen’s cooperative for 450 pesos per person for 2 hours. The reef is close to the beach (you’re not allowed to swim there), so the boat ride is short. It’s not as pretty as Cozumel, but it’s nice and affordable. On Puerto Morelos’s page, you can also access a small, not-very-well-preserved reef. There’s also a cenote in the sea where fresh water mixes with saltwater—the water is murky there. We had a great dinner and excellent cocktails at "La Choza del Puerto."
Tuesday, July 21:
Wandered around Puerto Morelos (check out the church and read everything—it’s entertaining!), relaxed by the hotel pool, and left for Cancun Airport by taxi (400 pesos) booked via InDrive to head back to France.
Our highlights:
- Holbox
- The whale shark tour
- The cenotes
- The local flora and fauna (so present!)
- Isla Contoy
- Cabo Catoche (except for the snorkeling)
What we liked least:
- The bioluminescence (barely visible despite good conditions)
- The food—we found it not very diverse in taquerias
- The constant tipping
- The lack of water pressure in showers (fixed, wall-mounted, no hose or showerhead)
Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions while it’s still fresh in our minds.
Here we go—finally, the big day has arrived! A trip the whole family (my two kids, my husband, and me) had been looking forward to for so long.
To keep it short, we left from Nice, arrived in Namibia on June 25, 2025, and left again on the 21st—four weeks later.
We used an agency for all the camping reservations, activities, and the car rental. At least that side of things was taken care of. Michaël was our contact throughout the planning and the trip itself.
We spent our first night at Londiningi BB. A bit out of the city center but very quiet. The rooms were spacious and clean, and we could eat on-site that evening. Perfect for recovering from the flight.
This travel journal is our second on VoyageForum, following last year’s where we recounted our four weeks in Vietnam.
The goal remains the same: since some members on this site share tips, experiences, and great deals that help us prepare for our trips, we do the same after returning—both to give back a little and in the hope that our experiences might be useful to others in some way.
Our route was as follows: Bangkok, Siem Reap, Krabi, Suratthani, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Chumphon, Bang Saphan, Prachuab Khiri Khan, Sam Roi Yod, Hua Hin, Phetchaburi, Bangkok.
Beyond rediscovering Bangkok, our objectives were the long-held dream of seeing Angkor and exploring southern Thailand, much of which isn’t overly touristy.
A quick big thank-you to Barbot, who took the time to answer several of our questions.
12/07/2013
The cheapest flight we found earlier this year was a Paris-Bangkok route with a layover in Moscow for 1440 €, total for two people.
So, this time we tried Aeroflot. Airbus A318 for the first leg, A330 for the second. Nothing particularly annoying to report—the passengers were very calm, the cabin temperature was comfortable, and we had enough legroom.
That said, the quality of the meal trays was pretty mediocre, and the flight attendants weren’t exactly comedians.
We’d like to remind everyone that it’s best to exchange as little money as possible at the airport upon arrival, since the rate is about 5% worse than at city banks.
Of course, we made sure to take the airport exit where you can catch official taxis to avoid getting scammed. So, we queued up, a little lady gave us the ticket, and off we went with the driver.
Generally, this system works well because these drivers are registered, know their duties, and the risks they face if they break the rules. Except that day, right off the bat, we got the scammer of the day. His first move was to snatch the ticket from my wife’s hands—the one you’re supposed to keep in case of a complaint. My husband saw it, but after a full day of travel, we were a bit out of it, and honestly, there was no reason to be suspicious. But once we started driving, the guy refused to turn on the meter. We insisted more and more firmly, but nothing. So, I used the famous method of opening the door and starting to step out of the car. At 40 km/h, that scares the driver more than the passenger. He finally turned on the meter, but that didn’t calm him down—quite the opposite. For the next half-hour, he ruined the ride by demanding extra fees here and there. Having dealt with several scam attempts last year in Vietnam, this wasn’t exactly new, and we were proud of ourselves for staying pretty zen. Still, this guy was a little scary—he was completely wired and aggressive. Honestly, it was hard not to think he was on something. He’d be perfect for a *Scarface* remake. When we finally arrived at the hotel, he followed us to the entrance. We paid the two tolls (25 and 45 baht), gave him the usual 100 baht extra for the ride, and stayed polite but firm. So, meter: 245 baht + 100 baht + 25 and 45 baht for tolls—we paid the exact amount, no way we were tipping this guy. He left furious, but he was already like that before picking us up... Anyway, avoid Mr. Chartree Chidchen, number 089 826 7308, car E2663!
We were so relieved to finally settle in at Feung Nakorn Balcony hotel in the temple district. 42 € per night, great reception, all the staff is friendly. The AC works fine, the bed seemed hard at first but turned out to be comfortable. The hotel is quiet, away from the nightlife, but at this time of year, many places are less crowded than in high season. Even with a nice fish pond and outdoor breakfast area, it’s a decent hotel, though we felt we could’ve found something better.
After a night on the plane, the first afternoon is always a bit of a slog. We napped for a few hours, and when we woke up—guess what—we were starving. We visited a temple across from the hotel (nothing special) and then decided to take the Chao Phraya Express, the river shuttle that serves many piers along the river. It was a really enjoyable experience. The steel gangway wobbles when you board and disembark, the boat sits low in the water, and sometimes you get splashed. During peak times, you’re packed in like sardines, but most of all, there’s that exotic urban landscape passing by, especially the temple rooftops.
At that exact moment, the boat was packed. We didn’t see a ticket booth at the pier, and we tried in vain to pay the few baht for the ride. The cashier on the boat was too busy, and another employee we called didn’t have time to help us. Oh well, we weren’t going to force the issue. Still, this mode of transport is super practical for avoiding traffic, and at the piers, the lines with station names are clearly marked, with colors matching the flags on the boats. Combined with a map like the *Routard* guide, it’s easy to navigate.
We easily made it to the restaurant *Harmonique*, located near one of these piers. It’s a unanimous favorite on this forum, and let us tell you—it’s well-deserved. What a wonderful experience that evening! We only saw the outdoor gazebo because there was no way we were dining inside. It’s not flashy, so those looking for a luxurious setting should look elsewhere.
That night, the staff was a bit slow, and we had to track them down several times to move things along. But oh, my friends—what a feast on the plate! Start with the appetizer platter for two at 250 baht, featuring four specialties, each more tempting than the last, followed by their famous crab curry for 200 baht. There’s *so much* crab in there! The dish is so delicious and rich that when you finish, you feel—how to put it—like it was almost *too* good, to the point where you’re almost put off eating for days. And also, oh yes, we *will* be back. Their satay chicken is just as amazing, and it would be a crime not to mention their generous dessert with ice cream, warm banana, and chocolate, plus their *excellent* almond milkshake.
Later, we took a taxi to Kao San Road, mainly to book a Ko Tao-Chumphon trip for 600 baht per person at the Lomprayah counter. In hindsight, we should’ve booked all three of our trips there right away.
Kao San Road is *ultra*-touristy—better for younger crowds, but it’s still worth seeing. There’s rock ‘n’ roll, hippies, and crowds everywhere.
We walked back to the hotel, and when we got a little lost near a canal, a really nice older Thai man spontaneously appeared out of the night to kindly point us in the right direction.
Finally, a real long night of sleep ahead—we cranked up the AC. Sweet, the vacation has begun!
Hi there,
I just got back from a trip to Sri Lanka from December 18th to January 1st with 2 adults and 2 kids (12 years old).
If it helps, here’s my itinerary.
We left on December 18th from Madrid with Qatar Airways. No complaints. I booked my tickets back in March for 800 € per person. (I flew from Madrid because I live near the Spanish border and was too worried about strikes in France.)
We arrived on December 19th at 4 PM (local time). Before leaving France, I’d booked a taxi through MyTransfer for 59 € to Sigiriya. A van was waiting for us at the airport exit.
A never-ending 3-hour drive to Sigiriya. We stayed at Samana Guesthouse—very simple, clean, with a pool and an excellent Sri Lankan breakfast. Shower and straight to bed.
Friday, December 20th: Beautiful weather, but very humid and hot. We visited Lion Rock (36 € for adults) and then Pidurangala.
I loved both sites—they’re a must-do in my opinion.
Spent the late afternoon by the pool.
Saturday, December 21st: Another gorgeous day. The guesthouse manager offered us a free 2-hour tuk-tuk tour. We first visited a lake, rice fields, the temple, and the Sigiriya market, plus the usual tourist trap—the botanical garden (no pressure to buy anything at the end).
Then we took a tuk-tuk to Dambulla Temple, the Golden Buddha, and the wholesale market.
Sunday, December 22nd: Still beautiful weather. I’d booked a taxi for 8 AM. We did all the long trips by taxi to save time. I’d ask for prices from 2 or 3 WhatsApp taxi agencies 2 days or the day before—super responsive, always got replies within 5 minutes. We headed to Ella (4-hour drive) for 22,000 LKR.
Arrived in the afternoon at Rest Full Homestay—a small, family-run guesthouse. Clean, cozy, and an amazing Sri Lankan breakfast.
In the afternoon, we went to Nine Arches Bridge. It was a Sunday, a Sri Lankan holiday, so it was *packed*—mostly locals and very few white tourists! Even though it was crowded, it was cool because it was all Sri Lankans. We waited an hour for the train. It’s worth seeing, but honestly, I didn’t think it was that amazing.
Then we headed to the station to check if we needed to book tickets for the train to Haputale—turns out, no.
Monday, December 23rd: Beautiful weather. We hiked Ella Rock—a gorgeous trek. The final stretch is steep but shaded, so it wasn’t as tough as I’d read. The whole hike is stunning from start to finish. We saw the train pass twice (one blue, one red) and lots of women picking tea.
After that, we did Little Adam’s Peak. It’s not hard, but it was *packed* with tourists—meh. Luckily, at the top, you can walk a bit farther (down one side and back up) to get some space to yourself.
What I *didn’t* like was the commercial vibe at the big café/restaurant with a pool at the entrance of Little Adam’s Peak. Loud music, all that money being made right next to little souvenir stands run by Sri Lankans or tea-picking women. Felt off.
Ended the day buying souvenirs at one of the few shops we found during the trip.
Tuesday, December 24th: Beautiful weather. Took the train to Haputale. We got to the station 30 minutes before the 9:30 AM train. We could’ve taken 2nd or 3rd class—I went with 2nd (160 LKR per person).
It was crowded, but we managed to get seats—first 2, then 3. Only a 1-hour ride, but I *loved* it—windows and doors open the whole time.
Arrived in Haputale around 11 AM, and the mist was already rolling in.
We walked to our guesthouse, The Mist Holiday Bungalow. Simple but clean, with a great view of the tea plantations. The owner’s wife is Vietnamese and used to work for French tour operators, so her French is still pretty good—helpful for us since our English is terrible. They booked us a tuk-tuk for 4:45 AM the next day (2,000 LKR) to Lipton’s Seat.
Spent the afternoon wandering around Haputale. Not much charm, but there’s a nice fruit and veggie market and a short walk through the tea plantations.
Wednesday, December 25th: Beautiful weather. The tuk-tuk was on time to take us to Lipton’s Seat. We were the first ones there—the sky was just starting to turn pink. In the end, only about ten of us watched the sunrise. The guesthouse had packed us breakfast, and we walked back down (half on the road, half through the plantations). Didn’t see any tea picking since it was Christmas, but the walk was still incredible. We took detours through villages full of kids.
After that, we visited the tea factory. The tour was really interesting, and we took the bus back down to Haputale. Such a great moment—whole families were heading to mass, dressed up and made up. All so beautiful.
At noon, we left for Udawalawe National Park. Taxi for 14,000 LKR. Stayed at River Inn Safari Cottage. *Warning*: It’s the same place as Eagle Safari Cottage. I don’t recommend it. We’d always stayed with families before, but here it was just staff—totally different vibe. The pool was nice but not very clean (water was murky). The bungalow was big and fine, but it was brand new—so new the asphalt floor wasn’t fully dry. It’s in the middle of nowhere, so we had to eat on-site. Couldn’t leave a review on Booking because they never confirmed we’d stayed, and they canceled our reservation the next day.
Thursday, December 26th: Beautiful weather. I’d booked a safari through the hotel for 5:30–10 AM for 54 USD. Honestly, yes, there are a lot of jeeps, but it was great. The kids loved it—we saw everything there was to see.
Left by taxi at 11:30 AM for Welligama (12,000 LKR).
We didn’t stay in Welligama city but at Coconut Beach, between Welligama and Midigama. *Total crush* on the guesthouse: Sky Mountain Café with View. Such a lovely family. The mom makes amazing meals at reasonable prices. The view from the hill over the sea is unreal.
Spent the afternoon walking along the beach.
Friday, December 27th: Beautiful weather. My kids are surfers. Unfortunately, there weren’t any boards their size to rent at Coconut, so we took a tuk-tuk to Welligama Bay (1,000 LKR). They surfed from 8 AM to 5 PM—rental was 5,000 LKR for the day. Meanwhile, we walked the beach and swam. Water was 29°C.
Saturday, December 28th: Beautiful weather, rain from 4 PM until midnight. Same surf day. They were so well-behaved the whole trip, so this was their reward.
Sunday, December 29th: Beautiful weather. Beach day at Coconut. *Warning*: It’s a reef break. For surfers, there are three spots (Coconut Left, Middle, and Right). The boys bodysurfed (with fins) all morning, and at 1 PM, we took the bus to Hikkaduwa.
Stayed at Hotel Universal Beach. Nothing special—right on the water, but the rooms were dark even though they were clean. The manager was super nice, but the rest was meh, and breakfast was mediocre compared to what we’d had before (2 eggs and 3 slices of toast). Plus, it was late—8 AM.
First impression of Hikkaduwa wasn’t great—way too many Russians for our taste.
Monday, December 30th: Beautiful weather. Spent the whole day exploring. Turtle Beach, then the other side of the beach (toward Galle) near the fishing port. The beach there is much wider, with scattered hotels and super quiet. It’s beautiful—I should’ve booked somewhere in that area. Ended up having a great day away from the crowds.
Tuesday, December 31st: Overcast, then beautiful, rain at 4 PM. Had to end the year (and the trip) with some surf. Rented boards for the kids (3,000 LKR per board for the day). Bad luck—the waves were on a reef break but small. Not great for them, but no big deal. They still got out of the water by 2 PM. Walked the beach (which is gorgeous), had a juice, and went for a swim. Then back to surfing in the rain at 4 PM.
Wednesday, January 1st: Left by taxi at 5 AM (18,000 LKR). Flight at 10 AM. Arrived in Madrid at 8 PM.
I could have titled my travel journal like Carmen: "Some trips are born twice." Indeed, we had considered this destination back in February 2020. However, an honest tour operator advised us against traveling at that time due to the climate. So, we gave up and opted for Guatemala instead (see "On the Mayan Lands" on this site).
So, why this title? When I was in primary school, over 65 years ago, the illustrations in my history books (Machu Picchu) and geography books (Lake Titicaca) made me dream, and those images stayed in my mind. It took until 2026 to finally make this dream come true!
We prepared our trip with Tout Pérou, a French-speaking "agency." Everything was handled via email and WhatsApp exchanges with our contact: Laurent, who was both competent, friendly, and full of good advice.
For 200 €, Tout Pérou provided us with drivers and guides whenever we wanted, helped us buy our domestic flights (cheaper when purchased in Peru), booked shuttles between airports and hotels, and got us a discount on the train ride to Aguas Calientes, as well as on the buses between Chivay and Puno and between Puno and Cusco. In short, Laurent took care of all the logistics and the Machu Picchu tickets. It was up to us to book our hotels. Tout Pérou provided a list, but we weren’t obliged to follow it. Another advantage of the package: we didn’t have to pay in advance; we paid the service providers directly day by day.
We didn’t meet Laurent in person because he was on vacation in Europe. Before his departure, he gave us a briefing, provided a summary table with the entire program, the service providers, their phone numbers, their fees, the schedules, and gave us plenty of advice (money, exchange, safety, etc.). After returning at the end of our stay, he kept checking in on us.
Lastly, we had also gathered information from Arnaud Lagadec, who runs a hotel in Cusco and offers tours of the region. He gave us a lot of useful information. Another contact: Thomas Montaigne, very friendly, who runs an agency in Arequipa (Agence Pérou Exclusif).
Day 1 – Paris to Lima
Foreword
I’ll share our trip without any pretension—I don’t have the talent of some contributors on this forum—and I’ll illustrate it with a few photos (taken with an ordinary smartphone). My comments are personal and only reflect my own views. So, please be kind! Feel free to comment on my story as you like, but let’s avoid pointless debates.
Even though we live in the south of the Paris region, true to our habits when the flight is in the morning, we chose to spend the night before our departure in a hotel near CDG and parked our car in a parking lot in Garches. This way, we avoid the stress that often comes with traveling around Paris (accidents, roadworks, traffic jams, etc.).
Check-in and border control went smoothly on that Sunday morning. Our Air France flight was uneventful. In Lima, border control took a particularly long time, and for the first time, we didn’t get an entry visa stamped in our passports.
As planned, a driver took us to the Miraflores district, where our hotel was located. We were surprised by the numerous signs about possible tsunamis, having forgotten that Peru is prone to such events and regularly experiences earthquakes. We’d see the consequences of these during our journey.
Exhausted from the early wake-up, the 13-hour flight, and the 7-hour time difference, we had dinner at the hotel before a restful night.
Note that this day was Peru’s presidential election day. As a result, we weren’t served beer—the sale of alcohol was banned that Sunday.
We did the Langtang trek (hike) from September 10th to 17th, with the first and last days being the trip from Kathmandu and back—so 6 days of actual walking. It’s a fairly well-known trek but certainly not as famous or crowded as those in the Annapurna or Everest regions, which is why we chose it.
In theory, it’s mandatory to have a guide for this trek. In reality, it seems there are ways to bypass the regulations: we met at least two people hiking without a guide—a South Korean, a New Zealander, and possibly also a couple of English women and an American couple, though we’re not sure if they had a guide.
The agency we booked with had told us it was an affordable trek for relatively older people in good shape—which is our case (I’m 72 myself). I have to say upfront that we found it quite challenging, maybe because we didn’t have good weather—it was the end of the monsoon season. To be clear, no matter your fitness level, I’d say doing this trek in the middle of the monsoon season would be suicidal.
Day 1 – Journey from Kathmandu to Syapru Besi
On Monday, September 8th, there had been violent protests in Kathmandu against the government, which had, among other things, blocked access to social media and been accused of nepotism and corruption. There were 19 deaths. The situation was very tense on the day of our departure, Wednesday the 10th. The agency warned us that public transport was very unreliable. So, we decided to take a jeep, at an additional cost of $100 ($160 minus what was already budgeted for the bus).
We left a little before 7 a.m. and it took us a good hour just to reach the outskirts of Kathmandu. Along the way, we saw several houses and vehicles set on fire by protesters.
The road to Syapru Besi is only 120 km, but it’s frankly awful. It’s always narrow, winds through endless mountains, and the shoulders range from bad to confusing to nonexistent. Several sections are just dirt tracks. We didn’t regret opting for the jeep, as we could stop several times at our convenience—if only to let Y (my Thai partner) throw up everything she had. She’d taken her usual motion sickness medication, but the constant turns, accelerations, and braking eventually made her terribly carsick.
In Nuwakot, we stopped for breakfast at a nice little restaurant, Jimbu. It was around 8:30 a.m., and we’d barely covered 60 km. The restaurant has a lovely garden overlooking the Trishuli Ganga, the river flowing down from Syapru Besi. First photo: the river in the bottom right corner, mist and clouds over the mountain on the other side.
An hour later, my second photo: the hills along the Trishuli Ganga. You can see the different crops—lush green rice paddies in the lower right and corn, already yellowed and likely harvested, in the foreground on the left. And of course, the mist and clouds through which you can glimpse the mountain on the other side of the river.
Last October, we landed in Marrakech to spend a few days with family exploring Morocco’s roads.
Transport: a rented Dacia.
Accommodations: small guesthouses.
Our first stop was just a few kilometers from Marrakech, at a lovely house perfect for relaxing and recharging before continuing. It’s called Bleu House, a little paradise on the outskirts of Marrakech. The welcome was very warm, with a beautiful pool and a lovely garden.
Next, we headed toward the Tichka Pass. The road has really improved in recent years—it’s much easier to drive now. No more getting stuck behind trucks, and today, the construction is practically finished.
Morocco has turned green after the recent rains. It’s a joy for the herds and shepherds.
I hesitated about writing this travel journal...
This summer, we only did the classics (the 3 northern parks and Zanzibar) and let a local agency take care of everything from start to finish.
No craziness, no risks, no sleeping under the stars, no self-drive, no venturing off the beaten path, no incidents, and not even any delays in the pre-planned itinerary...
But don’t think we were disappointed!
The whole family (there were 6 of us) came back with smiles and memories of great moments spent together.
So, if you're looking for a "classic" way to discover Tanzania, this is the place to be.
Our 2-week itinerary:
- Arusha (1 night upon arrival)
- Tarangire (1 night)
- Ngorongoro (2 nights in Karatu then Irmisigiyo)
- Serengeti (3 nights in Robanda, Togoro Plains, and Seronera)
- Zanzibar Stone Town (1 night)
- Zanzibar Matemwe (3 nights)
- Zanzibar Jambiani (3 nights)
Come along, I'm taking you to this country where it's so nice to wander and slow down...
This trip was in 2023, but when I wanted to write my travel journal, VF was still closed to contributions...
So, now that I've just finished my Japan travel journal here, I figured it was high time to honor this destination we came back from so enchanted.
Disclaimer 1: This is a written travel journal. There’ll be text! Too much, for some!
Disclaimer 2: This is an illustrated travel journal. There’ll be photos! Too many, for some!
I have to say, every time I try to discipline myself, to keep it shorter, to include fewer photos... I end up adding more. It feels like my dear Aunt Nicole, who exhausted us with her slide-show evenings in the 70s/80s, decided to take her revenge. The upside for you, readers, is that you can slip away anytime without offending Aunt Nicole. I won’t even notice!
Anyway, since I love maps, here’s one to give you an idea of where I’m taking you. As you can see, we only saw a tiny part of Laos (the areas circled in red); we only had 3 weeks for ourselves (my husband’s newly retired, I still work), and we prefer taking our time over rushing around like crazy.
In broad strokes, it was very classic:
First, we “settled in” at Luang Prabang (8 days), because we wanted and needed to.
From there, we took three days to venture a little further north—not far in kilometers, but as we know, distances aren’t just about km!
Then we flew south to Paksé, letting ourselves drift down to the 4,000 Islands while stopping by the pre-Angkorian archaeological sites.
We wrapped up with the Bolaven Plateau.
A few practical notes: We arrived via Bangkok, then took a Bangkok-Luang Prabang flight, having picked up our luggage in Bangkok to check it in for Luang Prabang. No issues—the Bangkok airport, which many of you know, is very well organized.
We got our visas on arrival in Luang Prabang. Quick, but to be fair, we were on a “small” plane, and the big flights had arrived earlier, so we weren’t too crowded in line!
At the end of our trip, we didn’t fly out of Paksé but from the nearby airport in Thailand, Ubon Ratchathani (a 2.5-hour drive from Paksé), then Bangkok and Paris.
You’ll notice we skipped Vientiane to stay longer in Luang Prabang. That said, there’s now a high-speed train between Vientiane and Luang Prabang—good to know—and soon the (Chinese) train will go all the way to Bangkok and even Kuala Lumpur!
With that intro out of the way, let’s dive into the heart of the matter.
To be continued: Slowing down the pace... in Luang Prabang
It’s an ancient city that breathes, a living spring.
Here, no kitschy signs like “I miss you in Fengyu,” nor mass-produced fake antiques.
The century-old houses still bear the marks of wind and rain; in the morning, you hear roosters crowing, and at dusk, smoke gently rises from the kitchens.
This city doesn’t try to please anyone—like the spring water flowing through it, it simply keeps living at its own pace.
Located in Eryuan County, in the Dali Prefecture of Yunnan, the ancient town of Fengyu is a nationally designated historical and cultural city. It’s nicknamed the “land of scholars and ink”—during the Qing Dynasty, the Fengxiang Academy produced four *jinshi* and eleven *juren* in the imperial examinations. The Bai families made studying and farming a true legacy. Even on market days, you’ll find stalls of calligraphy and paintings, while lintels and screen walls are covered with family mottos.
Fengyu was also an important stop on the ancient Tea Horse Road. It preserves the second-largest Bai architectural complex in China, just after Xizhou. The famous traveler Xu Xiake spent seven days here and compared it to the “peach blossom paradise.”
une sorte de merle bleu, mais je ne suis pas sûr
Des jolies grues, on n'aura jamais réussi à les voir de plus près.
Des bernaches, il doit y en avoir des milliers dans le parc et des millions dans tous les USA. Elles sont très belles quand même.
Des petits détails de la zone de great fountain geyser. Un geyser qui crache vraiment très fort, mais un à deux fois par jour seulement et vous aurez compris que nous ne fûmes pas chanceux ce matin là !
on se fait le traditionnel retour par la firehole canyon drive et nous retrouvons nos tentes intactes et l'intérieur sec. Ouf !
la photo prise avec mon 200 mm
Jouons un peu : où est le loup ?
de très jolis sous-bois à l'entrée du Grand Teton NP. Il y avait aussi des repousses fleuries après incendies magnifiques.
ces petits hoodoos sont vraiment étonnants. La marche est super facile et on peut y passer de 20 min à plusieurs heures selon l'envie. Éviter absolument le milieu de journée ou l'AM à moins que vous n'aimiez vous dessécher sur place !
Je retrouve l'emblème de ma région : la cagouille !
Les fameuses parois en "swiss cheese"
des passages étroit beaucoup plus jolis en vrai que sur les photos
J'aurais pu passer des heures à admirer et photographier des détails de parois !
Je retrouve avec plaisir ces rochers en crème fouettée !
La star du jour...
les badlands sur la burr trail
Vila beach
Sunset behind Santiago
The rocks and sea at Ponta Preta
At the summit of Monte Batalha
Calheta
Calheta de Baixo
The beaches just keep coming...
The dunes
The 3 coconut trees, a landmark to find the track
Boca da Ribeira beach
The hills on our right
Ribeira Dom João
Barreiro
The old track
The church in Vila do Maio
2- Around San Pedro
The large solidified magma massifs that shape the heart of the island have created a large depression more protected from the sun at its center, allowing the growth of a vast laurel forest, today grouped within the Garajonay National Park, La Gomera’s green lung, which has earned it the status of a World Biosphere Reserve. Its completely European appearance contrasts sharply with the rocky and tropical landscapes of the rest of the island. Thus, the climate varies greatly from one point to another on the island: in summer, you can quickly go from a dry and sunny valley at 35°C to a humid forest area at altitude at 18°C.
On the right, the "welcome marker"—those dates offered everywhere as a sign of hospitality. On the left, a tribute to those stunning doors worn by time, admired all over the old quarters, including the abandoned ones.
Hospitality will often lead you to accept a small coffee, an "Omani coffee," very light, subtly flavored with cardamom, maybe a touch of saffron, and occasionally rosewater.
Here, I’ve depicted a man in the common everyday attire of Omanis: the dishdasha, mostly white (during the week and daytime; colors are more common in the evening or on Fridays and Saturdays). While you’ll see some men dressed in Western clothes, they’re very few. The white dishdasha is truly the shared attire of all men. The dishdasha, which has no hood, is distinguished by a small pom-pom attached to the collar, the furakha, which is soaked in perfume. And believe me, Omanis go overboard with it! "It smells like the pom-pom" is an expression that’s now part of our shared language, my husband and I.
Another must of men’s attire is the kuma, a small round head covering, usually white with brightly colored patterns. The keffiyeh is also worn (but without the cord called an agal in Arab countries), and it’s mostly worn by those with roots in the desert, from what I understood.
And what about the women, you might ask? Some are veiled, some in full black (but not a burka—more like a chador + abaya), due to the influence of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whereas the traditional outfit used to be a layering of very colorful dresses. Most of the women we saw wore neutral clothing, a plain veil over their hair, but with their faces uncovered. We also saw many saris and colorful veils—don’t forget that 40% of the population consists of Indian, Nepalese, and Bangladeshi immigrants, who work a lot in tourism, hospitality, restaurants, services, and construction.
Just to clarify, as a tourist, there’s no pressure to wear a veil, and never any disapproving looks. Of course, you’ll save the mini shorts, plunging necklines, bare shoulders, and midriffs for the hotel terrace—but I’d say that’s the same for men and women, and with the sun being strong, it’s better for your skin too.
Here’s the introduction! In the next post, I’ll tell you about my itinerary, and we can dive in!
Roundabouts are particularly interesting because they feature emblems of Turkmen culture, like the dog, a carpet, the Ahal Teke horse, or Muslim symbols, even though the presence of Islamic artifacts is quite limited.
Last October, we landed in Marrakech to spend a few days with family exploring Morocco’s roads.
Transport: a rented Dacia.
Accommodations: small guesthouses.
Come along, I'm taking you to this country where it's so nice to wander and slow down...